Dying
by Kurogane7
Summary: Vincent is dying, Yuffie knows this...having a little girl on the way is not making things any easier...but the least she can do now is to make his last few moments the happiest she can. Yuffentine. Rated M for character death, and lemons ahead.
1. Operation

_**A/N: This is going to be a tragedy fic with romance…we'll be seeing my rendition of how Yuffie and Vincent's relationship will be determined while Yuffie is dealing with the fact that Vincent is dying…do read and review would you kindly?

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Yuffie sat around in the waiting area with her friends…she didn't like the fact that her husband was lying on an operating table in the next room. Not after a few months since her pregnancy was announced…not when he was enjoying himself with their friends on this very night to celebrate the birth of their little princess…he deserves it after everything that had happened to him thus far. Lucrecia's betrayal, Grimoire's death, Hojo's experiments, yes that was a very messed-up life he had so far. As she rubbed around her belly, making sure that the little girl inside of her was still kicking, she began to reminisce on the past to help pass the time…

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Flashback…roughly four or five years ago…

_Yuffie ran around the dilapidated mansion with Cloud and Tifa barely catching up…after the battle with the Lost Number, they found the final number to the safe…revealing it to be a key and the Odin summon! Whomever it was that was locked away is probably dead by now…but there had to be at least something useful down in that basement…and that key will reveal just what sort of treasure is in there! Oh yes, treasure! It could be a hidden treasure map to a chest filled with gil buried under the golden sands of Costa Del Sol! Or even to a cave filled with gil so that she can bring Wutai back to its former glory without having to steal from these people that she came to like over the past few days! Or it could be an extremely rare materia orb with an extra-powerful summon in it! Or even a chest filled with materia! Oh yes, materia…the many possibilities coming out of those orbs made of mako…those pretty little balls had such potential…one could be used for lighting spells…or even fire…or maybe even a healing spell…and even the fabled "Knights of the Round" summon could be what she was looking for! No matter what kind of orb it was, materia to Yuffie would beat a diamond ring as a proposal gift any day…just give her that orb, and consider yourself married on the spot!_

_Within roughly an hour, she managed to get to the doors in the map, and fitting the key inside quickly. Oh the kleptomaniac inside her made her not care about the consequences when she opened that door…at first she was hesitant to enter due to the appearance of three coffins in the middle of the room. Two of the coffins were open and empty, but the one in the center was closed…with that, the kleptomaniac inside her pumped her with so much adrenaline that she found herself pouncing into the room to the side of the coffin, as she felt that extra dose of endorphins pumping though her blood and giving her that strength boost just to open up that lid and see what was inside…respect for the dead be damned! She's getting that treasure one way or an—before she could finish that train of thought, she found herself jumping backwards and screaming in utter terror upon seeing what appeared to be a fresh corpse in the coffin! By the time Cloud and Tifa had caught up, she was inspecting the contents again…the corpse belonged to a man, roughly in his late twenties to early thirties, long black hair tied in a crimson bandana, wearing a red cape, loose-fitting black leather pants tied at his calves with a pair of brass boots, a black denim dress shirt with a black leather fingerless glove on his right hand, and a brass claw on his left._

_Inspecting the face of the corpse, the paleness about his body seemed to say that he was recently buried, but he did not seem to turn blue…a sign that it's been a while since he died, hence why he appeared fresh, nor was there the smell of mold about him, although the scent of death and chemicals seemed to linger on him nonetheless. Ignoring the fact that he was a dead man, Yuffie found him to be delectable…in fact he seemed so effeminate and beautiful with a subtle hint of manliness that he made her look like a boy...like one of those…umm…what was that term…oh yeah! Now she remembered, like one of those teenage Shotaro complex boys that she caught sight of in those manga before she left! While she gazed distractedly upon that face, she found herself screaming the word "VAMPIRE!" as she saw those eyes open so suddenly, and this time instead of just jumping back, she found herself crawling backwards towards the door, bumping into Cloud before she stood up, and bolted to hide behind him…and letting her head hang out ever so slightly from his left triceps to get a glimpse at what was happening._

_The corpse in the coffin slowly sat up, and then started scanning his surroundings for a bit before letting those blood-colored eyes of his rest upon the three of them…as she looked back at those red eyes, she felt like she was going to wet herself from fear. "What are you doing here?" he asked, an ashen tone of bitterness in his oh-so-sexy baritone voice, "Don't you know this place is filled with nightmares?" It didn't take long for Cloud to explain everything that had happened so far that the vampire known as Vincent. As he spoke of what happened here, and how Sephiroth came to be, Yuffie could not help but find something familiar about him in his voice—something about his accent made her think back…where did she hear that tone before? Now she knows! He came from Wutai! Even though his whole voice was heavily masked in Basic, she managed to catch the subtle sound of Wutainese in his accent…most likely he moved from Wutai to here somewhere in his life._

_After hearing his refusal to join, Yuffie could not take any more of his self-pity. Before Vincent could completely shut the lid to his coffin, she stopped it and pushed it slightly so that she could look into that slit. "Listen here you! You may have had it bad, but don't think you are the only one in this group that's crying! You want to pay back for all of your sins? Then get up and do something about it, instead of lying around in that box of yours and moping about with your 'could've would've should've' crap! If you don't want to join us then fine! We never needed your help in the beginning! Rot in there for all I care!" With that, she slammed the lid to the coffin shut and stomped her way out of the room, leaving a surprised Cloud and Tifa walking silently behind her…who knew that she had the guts to do something like that. Although Yuffie didn't show it, she was actually embarrassed—she never thought that she would be brave enough to yell at the obviously scary man and get away with it! She paused to hear a voice call out, "Wait" and turned to see that it was Vincent following them. "Will we be running into Hojo?"_

_This time, it was Cloud who answered. "He works for Shin-Ra, so it'll be a good chance that we'll run into him eventually."_

"_Then perhaps I can be of assistance…after all, like you, I have a score to settle with him…" Yuffie wouldn't admit it…but the fact that this man ate his words and decided to join them made her day!

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Present time…

She had fallen asleep. The operation was very stressful to all involved—it was stressful for the doctors because they were fighting hard to keep him alive. It would be stressful for Vincent to know that he was in an ER, and even today, he still has a sort of fear of going into a hospital no doubt because of Hojo and Lucrecia. And it was stressful to her because she feared that she would lose the first man she had ever fallen in love with—she feared losing the father of her child…and she feared of the possibilities of what might happen while he was not around.

He worked so hard to try and stay out of the operating room, and this time it couldn't be avoided…no, tonight, this had to happen. They were gathering at Tifa's for the anniversary of AVALANCHE's formation, to commemorate the memory of the late Aeris Gainsborough, and to celebrate her pregnancy, as well as that of Tifa's. It was supposed to be a day of joy for all the friends to be happy for the new lives that were going to come out into the world. But it would not happen…not for him…for just as he was about to start toasting to her, just as he was reaching that glass up to celebrate the birth of their daughter with their friends and congratulate Tifa on her child, he doubled forward in a coughing fit, and then he saw the blood covering his hand before he dazed out, fell to his knees while dropping the glass filled with 2005 Chateau Renoir Midgarian Pinot Noir in his left hand, and fainted. She immediately called for an ambulance, and she was rushed to the scene with her friends following shortly behind.

As she woke up, Yuffie found herself wrapped in a blanket with Tifa and Cloud cuddling in their sleep next to her. Marlene and Denzel were sitting with Barrett, Elmyra, and Nanaki, watching the light above the operating room. Reeve held his latest variant of Cait Sith with Cid and Shera sitting close. Shelke could not be there because she was asked to babysit their son Blake as he was only a year old…but she was concerned when she heard nonetheless. She was lucky to have such good friends.

Before she could fall back to sleep, the soft beep sounded off as the red light turned off, and the doctor walked out of the operating room while everyone turned their attention to the operating room. "Is there anyone related to the patient in this room?" he asked, "I'm his wife," she answered, sitting back up, "what's up?"

"I'm Doctor Edwards, your husband's surgeon. Mrs. Valentine, do you want your…"

Tifa spoke up. "We're the only family he has left now…if not by blood, then by bond. So I think it concerns all of us here…what's wrong with Vincent?"

Doctor Edwards sighed…he didn't know what to say to this pregnant woman…the look in her eyes told him enough of how much she loved the man she was operating on. "I'm afraid there's no easy way to say this, but I'm afraid your husband is dying…it looks to me as if his whole body has up and decided to start tearing itself to shreds like an extreme form of a rejection syndrome or a cancer symptom—one I've seen most akin to cases in SOLDIER units, and victims of mako poisoning combined. I've managed to stabilize him, but that's all I can do for now. I'm going to need his medical charts to see if I can do anything more for him."

With that, Doctor Edwards walked back down the hallway, the look of sadness in his eyes apparent as the pregnant woman he left behind started sobbing with her friends comforting her…oh how he wished he could do more to help her…

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_**A/N: Originally, I considered making this a one-shot, but I figured, I have so many ideas to add that a one-shot will probably be impossible for me unless it's poetry. I also considered making this a sequel to "Trapped", but figured that this could be a different story while trying to keep true to the game…without making it AU.

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_**Songs Played:**_

"_**Code Blue" by Shoji Meguro: Vincent's operation commences…because "Trauma Center: Second Opinion" music seems to fit best in this situation.**_

"_**The Nightmare Begins" by Nobuo Uematsu: Encounter with Vincent flashback.

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_**Vocabulary:**_

_**Shotaro Complex—this, along with Lolita complex, is a Japanese term in manga for a sort of pedophilia involving young boys, usually shortened to 'shotacon', while Lolita complex, or 'lolicon' involves young girls, either way, the characters under this category are under the legal age of 18, and are usually involved in a relationship with someone much older than them.**_


	2. Beginnings of Love

_**A/N: Oh dear, you are in luck, I just managed to get another chapter out…Grey Edwards and Aki Ross from "Spirits Within" make an appearance here if you didn't notice…not sure what a lot of people make of that movie though, but I find adding them to the story to be useful at times…do read and review would you kindly?**_

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Dr. Gregory "Grey" Edwards sat in his office looking at his patient's clinical chart…his surgery came out well enough to stabilize him, but for how long? Like he told Mrs. Valentine, this is the first sort of case he had ever seen…but that was not what surprised him…years of experimentation at the hands of Professor Hojo? The man should by all means have been dead by now, if not to the hands of time, but by his own. What made him cling so much onto life? It's no wonder this is the first case he's ever seen…the man is an involuntary guinea pig. JENOVA implants? Mako injections? Infused demonic spirits? Hell, he would have committed suicide the moment he woke up after all that, and he was a hardened member of the Shin-Ra Medical Corps without any suicidal tendencies…the only thing that would have saved him was his wife.

Ah, speak of the devil, the door opened to reveal the beauty that was his wife…oh just seeing her made his day even better, and just hearing her voice tended to help him out in situations like this. "Grey, are you okay honey?" This medical genius from Wutai was Dr. Akiko "Aki" Ross, the head and chief surgeon of the radiology department. Her specialty was in the use of the mako laser scalpel…even today, he had never seen such speed and precision with that instrument, and he uses the standard stainless steel scalpel.

Grey simply sighed after putting down the clinical chart on his desk. "This particular case is baffling me. I've never seen such a chart before. Geostigma patients, I have saved once or twice, and I've even been able to save a few from mako poisoning. But this case, this Vincent Hayate Valentine, has too many cases I've never seen before…so far, all I can do is to keep him stable, but no matter how I look at it, there's nothing I can do for him."

"You're not talking about Vincent Valentine, as in one of the members of AVALANCHE are you?"

He nodded. "And what makes things worse is that apparently, he has a daughter on the way…I met his wife last night—I think she was the princess of Wutai. Anyway, you should have seen the look on her face when I told her that there was a good chance that there's nothing we could do."

"Is that why you've locked yourself in here since last night?" Grey's silence told her all she needed to know. She looked like she was on the edge of tears. "Is it really hopeless to save him?"

"I've looked over his charts. That Professor Hojo was really one sick and twisted, perverted, disgrace of a human being…in fact, he is more a monster than anything else in the world. It's like an extreme form of a cancer symptom that's making him weaker while tearing up his body inside-out without those lumps. There's nothing I can do…the only thing I can suggest at the moment to keep him stable is to keep him from anything overly exciting—the damage so far is limited to his lungs and his heart, and so long as he stays calm, he won't be coughing up blood as often."

Aki didn't know what to say when she noted that her husband bent forward…he was shaking in rage aimed at himself and the tears that were hidden in his eyes had already started breaking out. She knew that feeling…when she failed to save her mentor and adopted grandfather…she was angry at herself for not being good enough to save him from that brain tumor on time…and so ever since that day, she got better with her surgeries to the point that her success rate had increased, and she vowed to never let it go down for the sake of all the patients that entrust their lives to her. She didn't know what else to do but to walk towards Grey, and gently pull him to lock him in a reassuring hug—he returned the gesture by grabbing her in a bear hug and letting his tears flow out…there was nothing that either of them could do to help this family, and Grey has to go tell her the bad news…

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Yuffie sat next to Vincent's bed after crying herself to sleep on his lap. Reeve and Red had left early to see if they could find any way to help…Barrett and Cid both offered her a place at their respective houses to stay should Vincent die earlier than expected…Cloud and Tifa had to go home as they had work to attend to, and Denzel had school with Marlene, but they reminded her that if she wanted someone to talk to, they were always around. As she lay there with her head on his thigh, she dreamed of another moment in the past that she remembered…

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Flashback…roughly four or five years ago…

_Yuffie was ashamed of herself after seeing the look of anger on everyone's faces after they learned that she stole all their materia. For now, she was assigned to work with Cid and Vincent on gathering supplies. She couldn't blame them—she'd hate anyone for stealing from her too. It was no surprise then that she found herself sitting alone away from the campfire…the only people not showing her hostility at the moment were Aeris, Tifa, and Vincent for some reason. Although Aeris seemed to understand why she stole their materia in the first place…Tifa on the other hand was only disappointed, and so there was not much hostility for her…that and the two of them were with Cloud at the moment, and so that left one last person who wasn't openly hostile with her…Vincent, she didn't know why, but she felt especially ashamed when he showed up next to her._

"_Why did you do it?" he asked, taking the spot next to her, looking at the moonlit sky, "You are Wutainese Royalty. You shouldn't need to steal for yourself when you've already a family. So why?"_

"_I was trying to get enough strong materia so that Wutai would be restored to its former glory. After the war with Shin-Ra, Wutai was plunged into the status of a tourist town—the city has become more of a slum than anything in my eyes. With the materia I was trying to steal, I was hoping to at least boost the economy such that we wouldn't need to rely on tourists for money—we could be self-sufficient."_

"_Are you sure that's the only reason? Because knowing your father, I doubt he would have let you go out into the world where he could have possibly lost you."_

_Yuffie then looked at Vincent with a curious look in her eyes. "How do you know my dad?"_

"_Believe it or not, I actually grew up in Wutai. My mother was a doctor—you know her as Li Xiao Long Nu."_

_Upon hearing that name, Yuffie was bombarded with questions. "What? Your mom was the 'Dragon Princess of Wusheng'? The leader of the 'Twelve Tigers of Wutai'? And you said that she was an acupuncturist? How is that so?"_

"_After the civil war, she was promoted to the imperial guard, but she chose to trade in her sword for acupuncture needles and other medicines in order to save and protect lives. However, she still stayed somewhere in the capital, and formed the militia known as the 'Twelve Tigers of Wutai'. Galian Beast's 'Berserk Dance' was based on my memories of her teaching me the Drunken Fist style that put her on tier with her rival Zangan. Now where was I? Ah yes, your father…I knew your father when we were children…in fact I knew both your parents as we were all friends. My mother befriended the emperor at the time and was also his doctor, and so it wasn't any surprise that the three of us became friends. We knew each other for several years until my mother died, and I was taken into custody of my father. I never saw them again, but I kept in correspondence with them…but once I turned 18, I was drafted into the Shin-Ra special operations unit to quell a terrorist attack before I was recruited into the Turks. After what happened with Hojo, I lost contact with them…what happened during the war that caused you to steal for your country?"_

_Yuffie looked away from Vincent…she didn't want to recall this memory, but she felt that being a friend of her parents, she at least owed him the truth. "Sometime late in the war, Shin-Ra managed to besiege the capital. Supplies were getting scarce, and our guerilla advantage was dropping low because we couldn't leave the city. It was clear that we needed to raid the SOLDIER camps for food and supplies; nobody else dared to go, but mom volunteered. I was there—I helped mom with the raid by following her along the underground tunnels with a supply wagon and digging our way up to steal what we needed. As we were getting away, we heard the sound of a sword unsheathing. Mom brought out her tessen, and told me to run—I told her no, and that I would fight with her. Before I could say anything more, she gave me a chop to the neck with her left hand and I blacked out while she sent the chocobo out to run away. When I came to, I found out that dad surrendered, and that mom was killed by Sephiroth. After that, our relationship as father and daughter went to hell…I never told anyone else about this."_

_His gaze then turned to the lake in front of them as he heaved a long and heavy sigh. "I don't believe that your father was being harsh to you deliberately—from what I remember of him, he sincerely loved your mother even though they were betrothed at the age of ten. I think he still loves you…he simply has trouble showing it at this point because you remind him so much of her. My only regret is that I couldn't stop Lucrecia from experimenting on herself and Sephiroth—if I had done that, maybe my friend would still be alive, and you would still have a mother. Whatever you wish to do to me Yuffie, if you even want to hit me, I won't stop you…if you want to curse me, then so be it…it's the least that I deserve for letting your mother die like that."_

_She turned to look at Vincent before turning her view to the horizon. "Don't be sorry. You didn't know, so there's nothing that I could hate or forgive you for. But then again, I suppose you're right…maybe I was a bit of a jerk to my dad the last few years…he did of course try to fix up our relationship many times, and now that you mention it, I've not been fair to him."_

"_What will you do?"_

"_I don't know…and that really scares me Vince…I don't know what I'm gonna do when I see him again. I'm not sure how he cannot be angry with me after all those years I've been treating him badly. I really don't see how he doesn't hate me now."_

"_He's your father—to hate you would be like hating your mother…I guess he knows this, and so he tries his hardest to keep you close because despite the amount of anger he has for you, he still loves you. But if you do have to confront him, then I'll be there with you if you like."_

_Yuffie's eyes looked at Vincent with something in her eyes she couldn't explain…but something in her was bringing her in close to him…and gripping his hand in hers, and feeling a sort of electric feeling surging around her heart as soon as she made contact---she found herself wanting to do this again. The two of them said nothing as they watched the moon together from across the lake._

_The next morning, Cid woke up alone, and in a horrible mood. "FUCK!" ah, the first word of the day… and as usual, it was a profanity as he stomped his way around looking for both Yuffie and Vincent. "Shit! Those two fuckers left without me! I swear, if it's over some little fucking thing, I'm gonna…" before he could finish off that sentence with another string of cursing, he paused to see a strange sight before him…Vincent was sitting up against a tree with Yuffie covered in his cape in between his legs in a fetal position while he ran his right hand through her hair gently with his left arm around her. Of all the things that Cid had seen Vincent capable of, this was the first time he had ever seen the man doing anything remotely soft as he caressed the young girl like something precious. And the slight glare he received from him seemed to say, 'wake her up with any more filth that comes from your mouth and you will be rewarded with a bullet to your head'…oh he was daring him to wake Yuffie while threatening him to not say a word. With that, Cid left—looking for his pack of cigarettes…that scene he just saw was just downright disturbing and mushy and he needed one of his so-called cancer sticks to clean the taste of bile rising from his throat; although he couldn't help but feel that when they were together like that, they looked so…right._

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Present time…

She awoke to something going through her hair. "I never thought I'd awaken to see my angel like this now." Yuffie looked around to find the source of the weak voice only to see Vincent looking back at her with a weakened smile on his face—one of the few smiles she's seen, but this one still carried the same sincerity within it as those few smiles he gives out. "Yuffie…what happened at the party?"

Before Yuffie could open her mouth to speak, the door opened, and in walked Dr. Edwards. "I have some bad news."

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_**A/N: I based Vincent's mom on a Chinese hero—he was not exactly an imperial guardsman, but he was most certainly influential in the world of both medicine and kung fu; this hero's name in Mandarin was "Hwang Fei Hong", who was leader of the "Ten Tigers of Canton"…and yes, he was also a doctor, but a generalist of Traditional Chinese Medicine from what I've heard. And there could be a possible lemon flashback in the next chapter…and it's right after the death of Sephiroth…**_

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_**Songs Played:**_

"_**Obokuri Eeumi" by Ikue Asazaki—Yuffie and Vincent in the moonlight, talking about the past.**_

"_**Departure" by Noriyuki Asakura: Grey and Aki talk.**_

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_**Vocabulary:**_

_**Li Xiao Long Nu—this is Mandarin for Vincent's mom…literally, it is read as "Li, Little Dragon Girl". **_


	3. Bucket List

_**A/N: Lemons ahead in this chapter…in a flashback, but it'll be a lemon all the same, so do read and review would you kindly?

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"How long do I have doctor?" asked Vincent with fear lacing his voice, upon hearing of his condition, "Ideally, we'd already be fortunate if you lasted almost six months," said the doctor, hesitation and reluctance clear in his eyes, "but that's assuming that things are going well as far as your condition. I don't really know—I've never worked with your case before. Geostigma, I could handle…mako poisoning, I can work with…but a case such as yours Mr. Valentine, is a case I have never seen before. But rest assured, I'm not giving up…not just yet…I'll see if there's anything else I can find that may help you. But first I'll need to take samples from you so that I can see what I can find out."

Upon seeing the hint of terror in Vincent's eyes as soon as he pulled out a syringe for drawing blood, Dr. Edwards sighed. "I know you're scared now, after reading your clinical chart, I wouldn't blame you. But I need this sample if I am going to be able to help you…I want you to see that child of yours…and to do that, I need something to help me get a hint as to what's happening."

"You may also want to lend a hand to both Reeve and Red," said Yuffie, with a dead tone in her voice, "they're both doing what they can as well. I can give you their phone numbers…just call them when you find something." Dr. Edwards knew that tone…he hated to do this, but it was his responsibility as a physician to break the news to the patient and their family be it good or ill. "Would you like some time with your husband alone Mrs. Valentine?"

She didn't answer for a bit…she didn't know. "Yes."

Dr. Edwards understood. "I'll give you two a moment while I find that syringe." With that, he opened the door as Vincent looked at the doorway as the doctor left the room, closing the door behind him. He then focused his attention on Yuffie.

"Are you all right Yuffie?"

She was shaking in sadness…but she was trying not to show Vincent how much it was affecting her. "Yeah Vince…I'm fine…it's just…"

"Yuffie?"

The tears had finally broken through the dam…she just couldn't take it anymore. "It's not fair…IT'S NOT FAIR! I only get you by my side for two years…TWO YEARS! We were supposed to be happy for the rest of our lives! I thought you'd finally get a break—that fate would be kind enough to give you more time for happiness after all you've been through…and now…now, OF ALL TIMES, when we're about to be parents, this has to happen! And it seems that everyone I love or care about tends to leave me…first my mom, then Aeris, Shalua, and now you're leaving me too…why does it have to be you Vince? Couldn't life throw you a bone for once?"

"I'm guessing that my symptoms have had something to do with Chaos leaving my body…I've had him in my body for so long that it has added his DNA to my genetics, and he had been making it stronger for a long time…and now, after a while of trying to compensate, my body cannot compensate any longer for the loss of Chaos—it's rejecting itself to death; similar to a withdrawal syndrome."

"Did you know this would happen?"

"No, I only guessed just now that this was possible. I had my doubts that I was completely free of Chaos' hold on me, I just never thought he would be taking me away from you. Yuffie, I'd ask you to love me, but instead I deserve to be hated for doing this to you…knowingly or not, I've put you in a bad spot, and that is unforgivable."

There was a bit of anger in her tone, but she softened herself immediately. "No Vincent…don't blame yourself. If you love me, then don't even think those words. Please…don't do this to yourself…not when I've saved you from that fate. I'll always love you, no matter what happens."

"But Yuffie…the baby…"

"I'll manage—she'll be your gift to me to remember you by. I want her to know what sort of man her father was…to understand that she will be loved even while you're waiting for us at the Lifestream."

"What are you going to do Yuffie?"

Yuffie's frown turned upside-down with a hint of mischief in it…but even then, Vincent could see the sadness in those coffee-colored eyes of hers. "I don't want to see you frowning anymore Vincent…so I'm going to make the last few months of your life the best you'll ever have. And I know what you're thinking mister…you're not going to help me…you're getting your beauty rest and you're going to enjoy it!"

Vincent simply smiled…he knew that once Yuffie set her mind to doing something, there was no stopping her…although she did also sneak a Sleep materia into her purse, and cast the spell on him. As he slept, he dreamed of the moment that they first confirmed their love—that they first revealed to each other how much they loved each other…

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Flashback…roughly four or five years ago…Northern Crater…

_Vincent and Yuffie had been traversing the underground catacombs that were under the crater for the past day or so now. When they had jumped into the Lifestream with everyone else, they were thrown in the wrong spot and found themselves lost. "You think we're ever going to make it out of these caves Vinnie?" asked Yuffie, the tone of her voice sounding hopeless, "I won't lie to you Yuffie, the prospects of escaping now are bleak at best," he stated, "but I wouldn't give up just yet. I smell fresh air—which means that there is an exit somewhere in this cave. I won't let you die here…not when you have such a long life ahead of you."_

_She then looked to Vincent in order to argue, but she felt nothing leaving her throat upon seeing something…she rubbed her eyes, and found that what she was seeing was not an illusion! It was light! They now had a reference point as to where they were! The two of them ran forward, toward the source of the light, and found themselves standing in a naturally-formed underground chamber in the surrounding a pillar of glowing bluish-green light that could only be the Lifestream. There were no exits around…just a hole in the ceiling where the Lifestream was flowing upwards…no, they can't go back…there was nothing back there that they could leave through…when she turned her head, she saw Vincent standing there—he was looking upwards. What was up there that he saw?_

_The drop in his shoulders told her what she needed to know…there was no other way out. "Can't we just jump into the Lifestream again?"_

_Once he turned to look her in the eyes, she saw the despair in them. "The Lifestream can have mutagenic effects if you find yourself exposed to it for long periods of time. If you're lucky, it'll kill you before you mutate into a monster or worse…we were lucky enough to have gotten out with nothing happening to our bodies whatsoever, but if we jump into it again, there's no guarantee that we'll be lucky again."_

_The tears in her eyes had already burst out…they were going to live here for all eternity. She could not help but to run up to him and grab him in a hug that would normally break a person's ribs, which he reciprocated with a gentle caress using his claw as she sobbed into that denim shirt of his. She let out her sadness and her despair out upon him. "Vinnie, I don't want to die yet…I…I just…"_

_He sighed as he stroked each strand of hair on her head gently as he felt the spasms of her sobbing with his right hand. The electricity he felt when she made contact with him had been surging around his abdominal area where she was grabbing him so tightly. "Shh…shh…don't worry…don't be scared…"_

_Vincent's comforting words were cut to a stop when he saw Yuffie quickly climbing up his leg and squeezing his face to hers in a passionate kiss while she locked her legs around his body. She tasted sweet…much like those peaches he so enjoyed in his youth back at Wutai…only this peachy taste was laced with the drugs known as passion, innocence, and love which mixed into the most potent of all drugs—purity…oh he was getting addicted. He was getting so addicted that he reciprocated by pulling Yuffie's head closer to his to match with the movements of her tongue…he so enjoyed the taste of purity that Yuffie put in his mouth that he didn't notice that she had shifted her weight onto his chest, and pushed him backward before breaking the kiss and sitting astride his arms and panting over him. "I don't want to die a virgin Vinnie…I want to at least feel what it's like to love before I go…"_

_The look on his face was enough to tell her that he was about to protest, and he had good reason to. "To hell with the law! To hell what everyone else thinks if they find out! To hell that I'm going to be punished for losing my first time to you! I don't care…I…I only want you Vincent…only you…and don't even think of trying to get out of this by lying to me! What, you didn't think I noticed the way you looked at me?! How I feel your heartbeat increasing while I'm touching you? Or even the way you seem to take comfort around me?! If you're trying to save me from falling in love with you, you're too late! I already love you…I think I've fallen head-over-heels for you when I first met you…I just never realized that up until now."_

"_Yuffie, do you even know what you are asking of me? Do you realize that if you do this, and it is discovered that you have been deflowered, you would also be punished for allowing this? I love you, but I cannot have you…I am too old and too burdened with sin to deserve you. I…" His protest was cut short when Yuffie kissed him again…this time with even more ferocity behind it…and it was very close to breaking his resistance. The motions of her tongue were circular, and it forced his tongue to dance along…he had become helpless to her…she would have him, no matter what anyone else says. "I know what I'm asking of you," she said, after breaking the kiss again, "and I'm well aware of the consequences if people find out. But like I said, I could care less if you were a thousand years older than me…I could care less that my father would be angry with you…all I care about is you Vincent…"_

"_Are you sure Yuffie? For once we start this, there is no going back…you will no longer be a girl, but you will be a woman; and once you become a woman, you must hold to the responsibilities of one. If your father finds out about this, if he finds out about us, there is a good chance that you could die at his hands—and I do not wish that of anyone…not upon you, and most definitely not upon him. Are you willing to risk having to live in the shadows in front of your own father just to bed me? Do you want to risk forcing your father to execute you for this?"_

_Yuffie knew what he was talking about, and saw the genuine concern in both his voice and his eyes as she started taking off the cloth covering over her left arm and then following through with the fishnet armlets and fingerless leather gloves before she started to release the buckles on Vincent's cape ever-so-slowly. In Wutainese law, a peasant deflowering the princess will be met with torture for both parties involved…the consequence of raping the princess on the other hand is only forgiving to the princess in question but the perpetrator would be tortured even worse than if the contact was consensual. As soon as she reached the collar of his denim shirt, she hooked her hand inwards and pulled herself up to his left ear…whispering in an oh-so-slow and sultry voice, four words: "I'll deal with it." With that said, and in one quick motion, she unbuttoned his shirt all the way up to where her legs and his chest met while sitting up ramrod straight and then moving quickly to take off her green turtleneck to reveal her size 38A breasts held up by a clasped one-piece bra—they were small now, but if she gets older and the rate keeps up as it is, she would probably grow into a size 36B at least._

_She wasted no time in her movements—she saw her chance to strike; Vincent was fast and a damn better shot than her, but it would seem that his time in that coffin had made him slower, and so Yuffie had no problems placing her hands on his chest, and then sliding her entire body along the scars crisscrossing his well-muscled body, before he had a chance to push her back with both of his hands, and pulling his mouth to hers in order to kiss him again. There was no more escape now…no more resistance…no more protest…no more hesitation…she had smashed through all his barriers, and from the way he froze the second she locked lips with him, she knew it! She now had power over him, the great Vincent Valentine, the man who befriended her parents…the man she loved…and will love forever if they live through this._

_As Vincent's tongue danced around with Yuffie's once more, he realized that resistance was futile—she had blown away all barriers he had surrounding himself, and so she was going to have him on this day one way or another…she was resolute in proving her love to him, and she would not take no for an answer. He allowed instinct to take over when he slowly relaxed into her motions, slowly landing his hands on the small of her back, and then running them in around in gentle circles as her body rose and fell while she continued to kiss him. He then found his way to the clasp of her bra, and opened it before running his hand down and across her short shorts to rub her ass, and then spank her gently, eliciting a yelp of both surprise and pleasure from her that drowned in his throat upon contact before she broke the kiss, and started moving backwards to continue unbuttoning his shirt. The next target for her sensual assault was his throat as she started planting a hickey on his neck…the only thing he could do now was to lock her head onto that spot—because he didn't want it to stop!_

_Yuffie then continued her assault with moving downwards on his body with her tongue—tracing over each scar and bulge of muscle on Vincent's body. He thought that they made him ugly (he told her himself once when she caught him accidentally taking a bath under a waterfall), but to her, when combined with the catlike frame that distinguished the Wutainese from the rest of the people of the world, made him look like a tiger. She wasted no time in unbuckling his belt, releasing the button and unzipping his leather pants. From what she saw under that red pair of boxer shorts he wore, he was not too big, and not too small, but the perfect size for a man of his height and body type…and he wasn't even completely hard yet! It was clear to her that this was her next target as she found herself putting her mouth over the g-string of his boxers, and pulled his cock out of them using her teeth…before targeting his scrotum with a single pull, moving her tongue up and down his cock and then engulfing the thing in her mouth while stroking it with her tongue—it was then after ten seconds of stroking that he let out a moan as his first release down her throat._

_It was then that she slid and laid back with her legs spread out…nervousness was electrifying her spine…she had heard from her friends back in Wutai once or twice about losing their virginities, and wondered if it hurt as much as they said. And that look in Vincent's eyes as he slowly removed her shorts increased the feeling of nervousness in her spine…they were a filled with a sort of hungry look in them, mixed in something else she couldn't identify. Oh she was sweating in fear all right…sweating so much that she placed her sneaker on his bare chest. "Wait…Vince…you'll be gentle…right?"_

_Upon seeing that moment of hesitation in her eyes, he froze momentarily…he just remembered—Yuffie was a virgin…he couldn't take her the way he did with his previous one-nighters. It was then that he started moving the shorts back up her legs before she spread her legs apart and kicked both arms apart gently. "I was only asking because…I never did it before…and I heard from my friends that it was gonna hurt…"_

"_I'm not going to lie to you Yuffie, it is in fact going to hurt…or so I've heard. To be honest with you, this is the first time I'm doing this with a virgin…"_

"_But you have done this before right?"_

"_If you want to stop here, then we will. I'm so sorry it's just…"_

"_No, it's not that…it's just that I'm nervous, this being my first time and all. But maybe you can show me how it's supposed to feel."_

_Vincent smiled slightly this time…this was the first time she had seen this, and it made her feel good. Whether it was because this smile was sincere, or because it simply turned her on, she didn't know. "Since this is your first time ever," he began, running his right hand through her hair, touching her ear, and then caressing her cheek I will not let you regret it…but first…to pay you back for torturing me with those oh-so-delicious, peach-flavored kisses of yours oh White Rose of Wutai." She received no warning as he paid her back for her hickey on his neck by devouring hers while using his clawed digits to slowly run down the middle of her breasts, and then creeping them under her white underwear speckled with pink sakura petals before using his middle claw to touch her clit and rub it gently ten times, eliciting a moan from her throat from each full rotation before he slid three of them into her nether lips and causing a pleasured yelp to escape her mouth. The frequency of her panting increased while Vincent moved his fingers in and out of her at the same rate, until he felt a sudden sensation of moisture seeping through the silk covering under his claw with a grunt coming out of her—she came. The next thing to come off after he broke the hickey was her soaked pair of underwear as he moved on in to land a passionate kiss on her mouth before he licked down her chin, followed through with her neck, and then stopped at her left breast to tease that hardened nipple with his tongue, then moved back up to kiss her in the mouth again, before repeating that motion again with her right breast, causing her pleasure to increase as he teased both nipples one at a time with each repetition of the kiss in her mouth…afterwards, he felt it time to move even lower, and so after another kiss in her mouth, he moved his tongue back down her neck, between her breasts, down her belly, and then began teasing her clit with his tongue—she was getting close to coming again, and as soon as he shoved that tongue of his into her pussy, she locked her legs around his head, and then came hard in his mouth before the orgasm weakened her legs._

_Yuffie could not believe it…two times she got wet, and from the looks of things, the best was saved for last as Vincent got back up on his knees, and fitted his manhood into her pussy before lifting her hips up with both hands on her ass. "I'm going to do this quickly so that you have more time to adjust," he said, "are you ready?" Yuffie was too weak to respond…she could only nod in approval only to have her face contorted in pain as she let out a pained moan that caused her to sit up ramrod straight as she looked up into the ceiling with her mouth open while Vincent's hands moved up the small of her back quickly to catch her before she fell back down._

_The second Yuffie had become quiet Vincent moved one of his hands to have her head face him. "I'm sorry Yuffie…there was no other way…" Before he could say anymore, Yuffie finally found the strength to reach Vincent's neck from the back and shush him with the index finger of the other hand. "You made this as painless as you possibly could…and I'm adjusting to you now…just please, take me…help me forget the pain of knowing we're going to die."_

_His smile this time was a sad one…she knew what his fear was…that this moment would become a dream…for if anybody found out the truth it would be the death of both of them…she knew this because this was her fear as well. "I'll take this slowly for now." When those words left his mouth, he kept his promise…his movements were all slow and deliberate…they were gentle so as to avoid causing pain. Yuffie felt the motion within her pumping in and out as she grabbed onto his shoulder while bucking her hips in rhythm with his ministrations…at first, she felt apprehensive about there being more pain, but in actuality, she found that she wanted this pain in the first place, especially when it felt so good afterwards._

"_Faster Vincent!"_

_The motions got slightly faster with his ministrations…although the brief look of wonder on his face was in fact fun for her at the moment…_

"_Faster!"_

_He complied…his motions gradually increased…she was getting near…and the gyration of her hips had increased the likelihood of firing off another load into her before she continued to get pounded at high speed._

"_Please Vinnie, oh please…harder!"_

_The pounding had increased in strength so that tapping could be heard._

"_Please Vincent, I'm so close…I want to come with you…let me take you to heaven…I want you to go even harder!"_

_The speed and strength of his ministrations had increased to the point that the gentle loving that Vincent had been giving was replaced with a jackhammer. It was getting to that point…no, it was too late! Yuffie gripped Vincent in a bone-crushing embrace and locked her legs around his hips while Vincent held on tight._

"_VIIIIINNNNNIIIIIEEEEE!"_

_The two of them came at the same time…it was a feeling that neither would forget. Their love for each other had been confirmed with that one moment as Vincent pulled out after firing his last spurt, and the two of them fell backwards with weariness overtaking them momentarily. Their bodies drenched in sweat, they were weakened at the moment. As Yuffie lay there on the ground, she began to sort out her feelings at the moment—and at the moment, she settled upon contentment…that is until she looked on at Vincent's member, she noted that it was still hard…and then she saw him sit back up that her feelings of desire made her flip over, and then get up on all fours, shaking her behind to Vincent as she spread her nether lips while looking at him._

_Her voice was weakened, but the sexiness was still there…and the desire was very much clear in her tone. "Care to go another round?"_

_She noted the slight blush on Vincent's normally stoic face. Upon hearing those words coming from her mouth, Vincent simply crawled on over, and positioned himself in the doggy position while bending forward to Yuffie's ear. "Only if you're ready." Yuffie decided to silence that cheeky mouth of his by pulling his head into a kiss with her, letting out a moan of pleasure as he penetrated her again, this time, the ministrations were coming from behind as Vincent moved his hands from Yuffie's hips, and then firmly grabbed her breasts gently so that his claw did not scratch her as he massaged them oh-so-slow and torturous rate in rhythm with each moment that she bucked her hips into his ministrations. Eventually, Vincent broke the kiss, and planted a hickey on the other side of Yuffie's neck while the two of them increased the rate of their motions…oh they were getting so close! The final thrust shot out two hard spurts of cum into Yuffie as she let out a pleasured "OH LEVIATHAN!" as the two of them came in sync this time before they fell forward with Vincent kissing Yuffie's jawbone, before moving back down her neck, and then finally ending at her shoulder and then the two of them blacked out…before Yuffie let out a soft "I love you Vinnie", which he heard, but was too tired to respond, to reciprocate, to say "I love you too Yuffie"._

_When the two of them woke up, they found themselves in the ruins of an inn…overlooking Midgar. They wasted no time in calling Cid to tell them where they were so that he could pick them up. Yuffie was the first to leave the room, and Vincent moved to follow, but he paused when he felt something behind him. He turned to see a very familiar person behind him—she wore a red-colored version of the kimono that all the empresses wore, and even her stance was very regal while the golden chopsticks in her ebon hair shimmered like a halo around her head. Upon looking closer at the person who was looking back at him with a smile, he realized who this person was. It was strange to be seeing her, but then again, it shouldn't be surprising considering that he was dead before. It was clear to him even before he learned of her surname where Yuffie got her beauty from…it was like looking at her almost ten or twenty years from now._

"_Vincent, please take care of Yuffie."_

"_Don't worry Michiko…I'll make sure of it. And I'll make sure that Godo does the same."_

_Kisaragi Michiko giggled lightly—that was another thing that Yuffie seemed to have inherited from her mother in addition to her beauty. "I know you will…by the way, your mom says hi, and that she'll be waiting for you in the Lifestream with your father."_

"_Please give her my regards."_

_Michiko bowed before Vincent before she dissipated before his very eyes—that was the last time that Vincent ever saw his old friend and Yuffie's mother…

* * *

_

Present time…

When Vincent awoke, he found a clipboard holding a lined sheet of paper with a yellow sticky-note posted on it laying right there on his lap and with Yuffie nowhere in sight. He then read the note on the cover of the lined sheet of paper.

"Vincent,

Sorry I couldn't find anything for you to do…but I tell you what…write down on this piece of paper all the things you wanted to do before you die. Don't just put anything light on that list so that you humor me :(—put something that you actually wanted to do, something really exciting. Won't this be fun? Ah yes, before I forget, the doctor said that you'll probably be needing a wheelchair as you'll most likely be weakened, and Cid said he's in on this.

Love,

Yuffie"

Vincent sighed…he felt happy inside that he had friends that cared. But what made him really happy were the antics of his wife…even though outwardly in the past he had never laughed at her, but inwardly, he was doing so—she made him happy even before their first hot moment, he just didn't know how to tell her until they said their vows to each other in front of Godo…well, he'd better get started on that list…

* * *

_**A/N: Oh man, the first lemon while making it the longest one yet, but I promise you, after this chapter, we'll be adding more romance in the past while Yuffie does what she can to make the last five or six months of Vincent's life the happiest she can. The list idea was taken from the movie "The Bucket List" starring Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson…a rather touching movie actually.

* * *

**_

_**Songs Played:**_

"**_The Real Folk Blues_**_**" by "Yoko Kanno and the Seatbelts": Lemon scene, and yes, I think that song is always good for a sex scene.**_


	4. Date in the Golden Saucer

_**A/N: A date scene is coming up around the bend, and in the flashback here. This is not the entire date, and so I'll do a sort of flashback cliffhanger here. Do read and review would you kindly?**_

_**

* * *

**_

Time until Vincent's life expires: 29 days, 5 months…

After twelve hours of deliberation, Vincent almost completed his list…and so he reviewed it clearly…

List of things to do before dying:

Explore the depths of Wutai's port

Taste best wine in the world (money is of no consequence!)

Parachute off of the Highwind into Nibelheim

Visit peak of Mt. Nibel

Look for mom's clinic, and save it if possible

If mom's clinic does not exist anymore, at least build memorial to her

Pick Yuffie's pocket

He then considered other things he wanted to do…until he heard the door slamming open. "Vince, are you done with your list yet?" There she was…even pregnant, Yuffie was beautiful…a shame he would not get to see it after roughly five months. "Almost, love…almost. Are you okay for this? I understand that your airsickness…"

She giggled…oh she really was her mother's daughter…it really brightened his day, even if death would be knocking on his doorstep. "Don't worry Vince…Reeve set me up with a tranquilizing nutrient—my body will go night-night all while our pretty little princess gets to enjoy something good without any side-effects. Because I figured, since you're doing this list, I may as well join you."

The surprise was evident in Vincent's face when she said that…"You—what was that Yuffie? You're joining me?"

"Yeah. I figured that since you're going on this trip, I may as well do some stuff with you. Help me get my mind off the pagoda…and the damn mood swings…and…and…"

He saw the tears behind her eyes—no, she was crying, and it was his fault…a man who made a woman cry, especially such a beautiful woman like Yuffie, deserves to be lumped in with parasites and bums…a quote by his father that was upheld by Vincent as law when dealing with people of the fairer sex. Oh he deserved to be lumped in with the parasites that his father so detested, sickness or no. However, his thoughts were turned to the woman in question, and he ran his hand slowly through her hair before slowly brushing his fingers past her ear to lift her gently by the chin. "I understand. We'll do this as you want to…I want you to enjoy this too…please don't cry—it makes me feel like I am helpless to help you…and I really do, and you have to do this especially for our little girl."

She started to calm down, but the sobs still wracked her body. "It's just…no matter how I look at it, there's no way we can avoid this Vince…this could very well be the last time I hold you…to kiss you…to love you…"

"Don't worry Yuffie…I'll always be there for you…if not in body, then in spirit. Now, let's see that list of yours…"

She simply smiled. "Only if I get to see yours."

Vincent rolled his eyes. "I should have known there was a catch. Fine…it's not done yet, but I'll add one more thing to it by the time everything is over."

* * *

Flashback…roughly four years ago…

_The Golden Saucer was a good place to visit at any time of the day, even in broad daylight. However, the fact that there was rain now instantly killed the mood…Vincent said that he'd be meeting her here at this particular coffee bar, but he was nowhere to be seen. Just what did he call her here for?_

"_You can turn around you know."_

_Yuffie jumped upon hearing that voice…that oh-so-sexy voice that always made her wet…that voice that she loved to say her name even out of the act nearly three months prior. "How long have you been here?"_

"_Since you've left the restroom…I'm surprised that you didn't notice me next to you as you passed by."_

"_Okay…now that I'm here, what was with that call?"_

"_It's about that day…I'm sure you remember…even today, I can't forget about you calling my name…"_

"_Vince…get to the fucking point."_

_His eyes slightly widened in surprise…normally, in the Wutainese culture regarding manners, a woman would have been hit for a foul mouth like that…but according to what he read in the papers, since the war, Wutai had started becoming a slum of sorts that relied upon tourism, and so when the spirit of the people was crushed, so too were their manners. Although he found himself not being surprised—for this was Yuffie, his White Rose of Wutai…she was never meant to be a conventional flower, and so he relaxed himself. "I kind of felt bad about that day…I was—not a very good first time then, especially given our condition then. So…I decided to ask you to come on over here to the Golden Saucer—because I practically owe you a date."_

"_Seriously? You called me all the way out here just so that we can date?"_

"_Of course, if you don't want to, then…"_

"_Are you fucking kidding me Vince? It's great! It's so sweet of you! So what are we going to do first?"_

"_Well, I thought since this date was for you, I figured, you should get a pick of what you want to do, and because of my inheritance from my father, money is of no object for this moment…and it would appear that you can start picking out what to do in the park now."_

"_Why's that?"_

_Vincent said nothing as he pointed to the window behind Yuffie to emphasize his point…it had already stopped raining, while the sunlight started peeking through the clouds. Oh she was overjoyed when she let out that 'squee'! The first thing she did was to grab Vincent by his right hand, and drag him running throughout the amusement park…so many fun things to do, and it was a fortunate thing that he had booked a room in the haunted inn…otherwise they would both be too tired to bring Yuffie back to Wutai._

_The first stop that Yuffie made was at the Chocobo Races…the two of them bet on different chocobos; Yuffie on bird number 6, otherwise known as "John", while Vincent bet on number 3, or "Maya". The race had begun, and neither of their birds won the race, and the two of them re-matched on Yuffie's request…it was John that won the race, and she stuck it to his face. The next stop was an ice-cream stand where Vincent paid for two vanilla swirls in waffle cones before the two of them settled down on a bench. He had to pull down on the collar of his cape to eat it properly…it was then after several more licks on his treat…oh, it had been so long since he enjoyed the sugary delight that was vanilla ice cream when his mother had taken him to a fair once…it brought back pleasant memories before the sickness consumed her. It wasn't long before he noted that Yuffie was staring at him; she hadn't even finished her ice-cream._

"_What is it? Is there something wrong?"_

"_No, no, it's just that…I never really got much a chance to actually see more of your face, all things considered…and for some reason, it…you know what, forget it…we're supposed to be enjoying this date, so let's go!"_

"_No Yuffie, something's bothering you. What's wrong?"_

"_Nothing!"_

"_Yuffie…"_

"_Okay…looking at your face reminds me of something…I'm not sure myself why, but for some reason, I always feel comfortable around you…I'm pretty sure that it'll come to me as to why…it's just that I don't remember."_

"_If you're not well, then maybe…"_

"_No…no, I'm fine. Thanks for the thought though, but really, I'm fine."_

_Vincent looked at her suspiciously. Oh she was thinking something all right…but what it was, he had a pretty good idea what, but he'll just have to see it for himself in order to confirm it._

"_Very well then…so, where else do you want to go?"_

"_Ooh, how about that ride?" As he watched where she was pointing, Vincent saw the 'ride' that Yuffie was talking about…it had to be the most ridiculously large rollercoaster he had ever seen in his entire life._

"_Are you sure about that, we just had a bit of ice cream…maybe we should…"_

"_Hey, should've, would've, could've! Who cares if we get sick on it?"_

"_But Yuffie, I don't think it's such a good idea with your motion sickness and all…and if you do that, people are going to be mad at you…and coupled with the fact that we just ate ice cream, and you could very well be making a bad impression on people…besides, I wouldn't want you wearied out and with a bad taste in your mouth for what I have in mind for tonight."_

"_What do you mean 'for tonight'?"_

"_It's a secret…which I will reveal if you can go through the day without emptying your stomach out through the mouth. Do we have a deal?"_

_Yuffie smiled, and shot her hand out to shake, and he inwardly smiled as he took her hand in his and shook…only for her to strengthen her grip on his hand, and drag him around again…this time their next stop was at the Battle Square. The two of them battled to the top until they squared off against each other—to the crowd, it looked more like a dance than anything, and it actually entertained them…little did they know that Dio was watching the entire match…and like the crowd, he was loving it—the dance-like movements that Valentine complemented his use of the gun while Princess Kisaragi gracefully dodged the swings of both the claw and that triple-barreled revolver that Valentine wielded while taking advantage of each dodge to wind herself up for a counterattack. Valentine, given his history as a Turk, and his apparent lineage, dodged each swing easily…although he was a bit slower than the younger fighter, he fought smart, and gracefully like a dancer would even after he ran out of ammunition he simply used his claw to parry the strikes from her weapon and then counter with a slash. The match ended in a draw with both contestants tiring themselves out…because it was an AVALANCHE member fighting an AVALANCHE member, the crowd had raved even louder than before…never before had Dio seen such a spectacular match. Normally, he wouldn't give consolation prizes as he really didn't like ties, but this particular match was so exciting that when the two contestants got up, their consolation prize was a trophy with both of their names on it, and a prize of roughly 10,000 gil each._

_After the two of them recuperated enough, Yuffie was simply at a loss for what else to do. "Perhaps we can go to a woman's clothing outlet…I know of one," he said, "hopefully it should still be around."_

"_Why?"_

"_Because the last thing we're going to do on this date before we retire for the night is to go to a place that I know of…you may want to dress nice for it. I'll give you my half of the prize money to help you purchase the dress…my outfit is already back in the inn. Afterwards, we can go to any place you want."_

_She was psyched…something that required a nice dress…wait a minute…she was Yuffie! She was the White Rose of Wutai! A ninja! Why should she dress nice? Although it did make her go all girly to go out dress shopping and it IS a date after all, so maybe she could make an exception. Before she could think more on the matter, she found herself looking at a clothes store titled "Madame Rousseau's Fine Clothing". She simply stepped in and found herself looking at a plethora of colors in so many materials: Midgarian cotton, polyester from Edge, Kalmese vinyl, even Wutainese silk!_

"_Hello, welcome to Madame Rousseau's how may I help you?" The speaker was a blonde woman in her thirties with chopsticks holding up the bun tie on the back of her head…something that would not be out of place for someone of the upper class, but judging from her skin type, she was likely in the upper middle class with very good measurements on her body—better than Yuffie's banana shape, although she too had a long way to go._

"_We're here to do some dress-shopping for the young lady here," said Vincent, before he moved in closer to her ear to whisper, "I am escorting her to her first visit to 'that place'." The woman blushed and giggled before looking back at Vincent with a bit of confusion. "What place are you talking about sir?"_

"_You know what place I speak of…I'm talking about 'that place'."_

_It was then that the receptionist realized what he was talking about! "Oh! Oh yeah! 'THAT place'! Very well then sir, if you'll let me borrow your daughter…"_

"_She's not my daughter."_

_The woman looked at the two of them in bafflement—but then again, who was she to say if this couple preferred each other? "Well then sir, if we'll just borrow your friend, we'll be out in a jiffy." It was Yuffie's turn to be dragged around, this time by the woman at the front—oh, she found herself trying on various dresses until she found the perfect one! She wrapped it up, and followed Vincent out the store, and into the inn to stash her dress before going back out to find something else to do…only for the next funny thing to happen: As they were walking down the street towards their next destination, Yuffie took her hand off Vincent oh-so-briefly only to find him missing, and wearing a dress while starring in a recreation of Sleeping Beauty…in fact, he was tied down and playing sleeping beauty against his will, and with the everyone in the audience (men included) having hearts in their eyes. Oh she glared daggers at everyone who looked at her gunman that way…although she herself saw how funny it was that he was dressed up like a girl…okay, so it wasn't funny, but it had to be one of the sexiest things she had ever seen…by the time the play was over, the two of them rushed back to the inn because Vincent had seen the time, and apparently, it was getting late._

_

* * *

_

Present day…

It was not easy to heave Vincent onto that wheelchair—apparently, without the leverage that the wheelchair provides, his height makes him rather heavy. It took Cid roughly five minutes to pull him onto the chair, and then seat him into it because his last coughing episode had weakened Vincent's legs and arms.

"Leaving so soon?" asked a voice from the doorway. It was Dr. Edwards, with an amused and knowing look on his face as he leaned in the doorway with his arms crossed in front of his chest.

Cid simply glared at the doctor…it was bad enough that he had to ditch his cigarette just as he was about to light it upon entering the hospital, but the way he was smiling was just making his day worse. "All right, listen you fucker…I don't care if you're a doctor, or whatever, this guy needs to see what's left to see in this world before he leaves it. And if you think we're letting you stop us I'm…"

"Who said anything about stopping you? I was about to pull out the needles from Mr. Valentine's body and to give him a prescription."

Cid's jaw had hit the ground at this point. "Eh…what?"

"I figured that treating him now would be helpless unless I have more information…I have the samples I need, so I'll do all the research from here on out. In the meantime, I normally wouldn't let people out of my hospital this early, but seeing as it's possible that we won't be able to save him, we may as well make the last few moments of his life good ones. But before you go, I'm going to infuse some more blood into him—it's likely he's going to be coughing up more blood, so in addition to your medicine, I'm going to grant a bit of an extension just for safety's sake. Once that's done, I'll give you instructions on the medicine to help postpone his expiration date for a bit longer."

Yuffie looked on in wonder at the doctor…normally, they wouldn't discharge a patient this early, but this one seemed very sympathetic to their cause. "You'd do this for us?"

Dr. Edwards sighed. "I know how much he means to you Mrs. Valentine, so I'm willing to do this for you. Besides, I wouldn't want him to miss the coming of that little girl inside of you."

That said, it took an even longer amount of time to heave Vincent back into bed for an extra dose of blood…soon, it will be a green light for his last few months to begin…

* * *

_**A/N: My, what is Vincent going to be putting at the end of his list of things to do before dying? Perhaps we'll find out at the next chapter?**_

_**

* * *

**_

_**Songs Played:**_

"_**Ameagari Sanpomichi (Descendant of Shinobi Remix)" by Nobuo Uematsu—Vincent and Yuffie's date at the Golden Saucer.**_


	5. Lost Child

_**A/N: A date scene is coming up around the bend, and in the flashback here, and so I'll do a sort of flashback cliffhanger here. Do read and review would you kindly?

* * *

**_

Time until Vincent's life expires: 25 days, 5 months…

It took four days, but it was actually fine to leave now. Cid wheeled Vincent out of the hospital with Yuffie nearby. It really was easier to move him around on the wheelchair rather than to heave him around like a sack of potatoes. "So old man, who's watching over the little guy?" asked Yuffie, "Shera brought him along," said the chain-smoking pilot, "she's got a bit of medical training, so that if the shit hits the fan at any time during this little trip of yours, she'll be on hand to treat your fuckin' man."

"Thanks Cid…I really appreciate it.

"No worries…Shera actually bothered me about it, and I actually understand why. The guy's practically had nothin' the last thirty years he's been asleep—it's about time he actually started livin' for once…not to say that you were nothin' to him, but I'm just sayin', after all this time, now he gets to actually enjoy life…do all the stuff he wanted to do before he dies. So where's the first destination?"

"Let's head for Wutai…there's several things we want to do there, so we may as well make a stop and pay my dad a visit."

"I also want to find what's left of my old house there, and if possible, restore it…I want to do that before I go anywhere else."

"Yeah well, you'd better not keel over anytime soon. I don't want that little brat of yours to be poppin' out without her fuckin' daddy around…it's bad enough that you are wastin' away like this, but to die out without seein' your baby, I don't think I can live with myself if that happened to me."

"I'll try to make sure that I stay alive for as long as possible. Oh, and Cid, do please refrain from cursing in front of my daughter again—I don't think you want to see the repercussions of such an action."

"And what're you gonna do about it Vince? You're too weak to stop me."

At that, Vincent grinned mischievously. "Yes, but I'm sure Shera and Yuffie would have enough strength to do so."

Cid froze halfway towards the handicap ramp in terror—he knew then and there that he made a big mistake in testing Vincent. And the worst mistake of all was telling Vincent what happened when Shera was pregnant in the first place—it was such a painful experience for him that he would not want to repeat it. The wrench swung in the general direction of his head…the flying teapot aimed at his face…even the occasional slapping around…no, he most definitely did not want to go through that again! And with that, he knew to stop the cursing, because that was exactly what happened when he did so around Shera when she was pregnant—who knows what would have happened if she teamed up with Yuffie. Come to think of it, there was an evil glint in the brat's eyes when she looked at him…oh, he'd better shut up and stop the cursing immediately if he knows what's good for him.

With that, he silently pushed Vincent up the ramp—a chill running down his spine as he remembered that look in Yuffie's eyes.

* * *

Flashback, roughly 4 years ago…

_After a shower, Yuffie stepped out of the restroom in an emerald-colored Wutainese silk dress that exposed her shoulders and tied above her bust and around her neck…it was a sight that left a black tuxedoed Vincent speechless. Yuffie herself noted that this must have been how he looked while he was with the Turks, only this version of himself had a ponytail tying his hair back and was wearing a black tuxedo—oh she was going to eat him on sight, and yes, she too was speechless until she decided to break the ice. "So, where are we going Vince?"_

_It was then that he finally found the words in his mouth. "We are headed for the gondola…if you are ready that is." The walk was slow and deliberate, and the stars overhead made it a very beautiful night for a stroll through the amusement park. Yuffie found herself leaning on Vincent's arm from the moment they sat down on that mechanical boat ride as the two of them watched the stars and glanced at the crescent moon in the sky._

_It was then that Yuffie noted that the ride had ended that she began to speak up. "It's a really nice night to be out Vince, but why did you ask me to dress up nice if we were just going on the gondola ride?"_

"_It's a secret. Just wait for a moment…"_

_Before she could say another word, the mechanical doors to the ride had opened, assumingly to take in the boat, but before Yuffie could get out, Vincent grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her back in gently while holding her close while the boat was hoisted into the darkness of the machinery inside the ride. "Don't worry," said Vincent, sensing her fear, "this is part of the secret surprise…it should be coming up soon." And sure enough, a pair of lights came up at the horizon, and eventually, they got larger and larger until they revealed themselves to be torches standing side-by-side with a door in between them. On the door was a sliding opening for an eye slit—Vincent knocked on the metal door three times, paused, knocked one more time, paused, and then knocked twice before the sliding door opened, and the couple was faced with a pair of nonreflecting sunglasses looking back at them before a low voice rang out, "The king of the sun sees all truth."_

_Vincent answered, "But his ever-pursued lover, the queen of the moon knows all secrets."_

"_You may pass," said the voice, "The Lady of the Night grants you passage…feel free to step into her domain, but one word of trouble and she shall banish you…understood?" The second that Vincent nodded for 'yes', the sliding door closed, and behind the door was a large Del Solian man with Barrett's build only with both hands intact and in a tuxedo and a pair of nonreflecting sunglasses over his eyes—he appeared to be in his fifties to early sixties, and still powerfully-built._

_As the two of them walked through the doorway, they found themselves looking at an elevator. Once Yuffie stepped in first, Vincent followed, and pressed the button, shutting the metal doors. It would be five seconds before the doors opened again to reveal a large room with waiters serving all manners of delicious meals, wine glasses, and many other things that were mouth-watering in Yuffie's eyes. And what made the place even better was the fact that everything was smothered in luxury, and the sound of the piano playing only sweetened the deal as the whole place was divided between a casino, a ballroom, and a restaurant._

"_My father took me here once as a child," began Vincent, as the two of them stepped out of the elevator, "he made me swear to never tell anyone of this secret, or else this place may very well disappear. It is a members-only club, only allowing guests in if you're a trusted member. I earned my trusted membership by spending my summers playing the piano at the bar over there. Ever since then, whenever I play the piano, I get a free meal for me and Dad—I would have also been offered a free shot at the bar and money for the gambling tables, but I was under 21 at the time…it wasn't until I became a Turk that I took full advantage of it." He then paused, and thought back. "Dad actually supported my dream of being a pianist one day—but ever since he died, and I was drafted to quell the terrorism pandemic, things changed. I'm not even certain if I still have it in me to play another note."_

"_You'll never know until you try." Oh those chocolate-colored eyes made him melt, and the shine behind them urged him on, as if to say, 'you can do it, I know you can'. "C'mon Vince, how do you know if you've lost it if you don't try?"_

_As if on cue, the entire bar was getting restless—because the current pianist stopped in the middle of his song and was in the middle of a long phone call on his cell. Whatever it was, it was not good for the pianist, and the band was getting nervous. The Lady of the Night was a musical place, no music means that the people can't relax as well as they could, and when people can't relax as best they can, they tend to riot—slot machines destroyed, poker tables overturned, looters are going to take every advantage as if it were the end of the world. Vincent knew this, and so he hurried to the piano with Yuffie in tow._

"_I know…I know, it's just…" asked the current pianist on his phone and panicking, "I-I can't leave—no honey, it's not that I don't want to come, you know how much your mother meant to me, it's just that if I leave in the middle of this recital, the people here are going to riot, people will get hurt, and I won't have a place to work…look, it's not that! I'm going to take it up with the boss right now—surely she'll understand. Okay, I love you, bye-bye."_

_As soon as the man hung up his phone, Vincent stepped up. "Excuse me, I couldn't help but notice you had a problem, and I was wondering if I could help."_

"_Can you play?"_

"_To be honest, I've been out of practice for a while. Just go and tend to your business with the boss. I'll handle your set until a replacement comes."_

"_Thanks—I owe you one. My mother-in-law just died, and I have to go be there for my wife."_

"_Very understandable; after all, family is important."_

_The pianist nodded, and ran towards the far right-hand corner of the club. Yuffie sat nearby, and watched as Vincent sat at the seat with the band behind him. "Excuse me ladies and gentlemen," he said to the microphone, "due to some unforeseen circumstances, your current pianist has to leave…but fret not, for I will be replacing him for tonight until a proper replacement arrives, I will be playing a few solos in my repertoire for you this lovely night. For my first song, I will be playing a song I have titled as 'Okaasan'."_

_With that, Vincent stretched out, and let his heart provide the notes…closing his eyes to picture the sheet in front of him…it was the first time he had ever played this song in front of everyone in this club, so he prepped his mind, and he began to play…the scene before him was a motherly woman not unlike Tifa walking down the streets with her child—a son she had with a man from far away. They were a happy family, despite being a small one. Oh yes, this brought back his memories of his childhood while his mother was still alive—in fact, the woman he was picturing was his mother. As he played, he remembered the first time he ever wrote the song—it brought tears to his eyes to remember the good days he had with her, and it still does today, especially whenever he looks at Tifa, for she looks exactly the way his mother did before she was claimed by disease and he had to be taken by his father to Nibelheim. Once he opened his eyes upon finishing the song, he noted that the entire crowd was in awe—the gambling had silenced, everyone had stopped eating, and instead, they had all turned their attentions to him by moving their seats closer._

"_So he has returned," said a voice walking forward from the back of the crowd, it belonged to a woman in her late fifties, "the great Vincent Valentine has come back from the dead, and graces us with his presence after almost thirty years."_

"_Well, well…if it isn't Madame Carla Rousseau…how is the family business these days?"_

_Yuffie looked to Vincent with curiosity in her eyes. "Family business?"_

"_Yes Yuffie, the dress shop we visited earlier is owned by the Rousseau family, and every matriarch of the family inherits this club, and the shop is to train the next matriarch—by the way Carla, who is this new matriarch-in-training that we've encountered earlier?"_

_Carla giggled slightly. "I see that your charm, like your father's, never lost its touch. The new matriarch-in-training happens to be my niece Gabriella…she told me something interesting about your little date. Are you really the White Rose of Wutai that aided in saving us from Meteor?"_

_She didn't know what to say, but it was clear that Carla here had some history with Vincent. Yuffie was embarrassed as she scratched the back of her head. "Well, Vince helped too! But I assure you, I did most of the work!"_

_The amused look on Carla's face seemed to widen ever so slightly…although there seemed to be something along the lines of jealousy in her eyes, and Yuffie saw it. "I'm sure you did…although knowing Vincent here, I'm pretty sure he must have garnered at least a little bit of interest from you without realizing it. I should know…I happen to be his first time…and it was good."_

_Yuffie also didn't know why, but she felt the impulse to latch onto Vincent's arm, and glare daggers at the older woman. "Well I don't know how good it was with you and Vinnie, but he was quite the gentleman with me on my first time…I very much ENJOYED it, and am looking to enjoy MORE time with him!"_

_Vincent saw where this was going, "I'll have to apologize Carla…but we came here to enjoy a night here…so if you'll kindly dial up for the replacement pianist, that would be lovely. I'll hold up the bar for as long as it takes for him to get here."_

_The look of defeat on Carla's face was apparent…oh she had to look into those blood-colored eyes of his…it as if they had this sort of hypnotic effect on all women the second he uses polite words to ask a favor. She then glanced with envy at the Wutai brat…oh she was lucky all right—and it seemed to fill her with regret. What it was, Yuffie could not tell, but she knew that her rival was going to give in. "Of course…after all, you did save us, so it's the least I can do for your troubles…" Yuffie was surprised by what she heard the second she saw Carla dart her head next to Vincent's ear, and whisper, "although if you're getting tired of the princess here, I would be happy to welcome you back to my chambers."_

_Vincent sighed as Yuffie tightened her grip on his arm—even though Carla was a few years from sixty, she was still very sexy when she wanted to be. He never even thought that she would BE jealous—she said herself that she wanted nothing but one-nighters, so why is she even jealous in the first place? "I appreciate the offer Carla, but I do recall you saying something about my first time being a 'one-time thing' when we were eighteen. And knowing you at the time, you didn't really want to be in a committed relationship in the first place…has something changed?"_

_Caught…well, she may as well come clean. "Okay! After our night together, one-night stands started losing their flavor for me! And then somewhere along the line, I started picturing you when I slept with all those other men. What we had then was so good, that it wasn't enough for me to simply picture you in their place; I wanted you there, in the flesh and taking me the way you did that night—or maybe even better. And then I didn't even want to simply have animal sex with you, I wanted to marry you! There, I said it, are you happy now? You just made me admit to not wanting one-nighters anymore and wanting to marry you!"_

_To say that he was surprised was an understatement—Vincent never knew that after their one night, Carla could not get him out of her mind. "I'm sorry about that Carla…I never realized you felt that way. And I have to apologize, but I'm already in a relationship with the princess here; not for money or the sort, but simply because I really do have feelings for her. I'm not talking about lust or anything else—what I'm talking about is sincere. Although I do see someone showing an interest in you—is that Georges Delacroix over there waving at you?" Upon hearing those words, Carla turned her head…and sure enough, there was a 50-year-old man waving at her. "I may not be a viable target for you anymore Carla, but someone seems to want you badly…and if I recall correctly, Georges has been interested in you from the day he first saw you. Go to him…and if he gives you any sort of ungentlemanly conduct without your permission, I'll still punish him for you."_

_She smiled, and kissed Vincent on the cheek. "I'll let you know how it went. But in the meantime, please, sit and enjoy once you're done." As soon as the old flame was out of earshot, Yuffie looked up to Vincent. "Were you serious? About being sincere with me?" "One thing that will be learned about me Yuffie, is that once I start a relationship, I'm always serious…I'll do what I can to make sure the relationship stays alive and hot…if you'll let me."_

_Yuffie's spirits were lifted upon hearing those words—he returned those feelings she had for him in kind. She soon found herself resting her head on his lap as he played more songs for the masses in the club…Vincent on the other hand caught sight of Georges and Carla cuddling up to each other with a smile on both of their faces as he played the second song slowly and patiently, timing the moment he speeds up the rhythm perfectly as to make the song more interesting. The song he played in question brought people to the ballroom section—a song that inspired something whenever he looks at Yuffie…how her smile brightens his day…the song ended with the two of them kissing in front of a setting sun that was sinking into the horizon of the ocean. Before long, claps were heard from the crowd for him…even from the replacement pianist whom had arrived somewhere in the middle of the song. He simply bowed, and escorted Yuffie to their table._

_The waiter brought in a dish of vodka-cooked veal cutlets with a side of scalloped potatoes in rosemary sauce and a glass of 1980 Pierre Reno Kalmese Syrah for Vincent, and a lemon-roasted halibut with a small side of greens in vinegar and a glass of water. The club follows Western Continent rules, and so Yuffie cannot have alcohol until she is 21 (or 19 in some places, which is the case here in the Golden Saucer). "So Vinnie," she said, cutting into her halibut, "is there a reason why you reserved a seat here?" "It'll come up shortly," began Vincent, after sipping away at his wine, "and by the end of this count…I want you to turn your head towards the window in 5…4…3…2…1!"_

_Yuffie didn't know what was going on, but decided to humor Vincent by turning her head around at the count of 1 to see what it was that he was talking about—a fireworks show had begun, and from this height, it was so beautiful…the blue explosions…the splashes of green…even the golden sparks made themselves present in a well-timed plethora of lights and it reminded one of flowers blooming in a field. "That fireworks show always starts on this day at this time of year to celebrate the anniversary of the founding of the Golden Saucer," began Vincent, "and from what I hear, Dio is also using this time to celebrate the anniversary of his wedding…this fireworks display only happens once a year, and only on the third day of celebrations for the park. I always came here simply to watch the fireworks—they always made it a very good sight."_

"_I can tell…and now I see why you brought me up here…although I have something I want to tell you Vinnie." Vincent looked back at Yuffie with a curious look in his eyes—what was it?_

"_I'll tell you back at the room."_

_Shortly after the fireworks display, and the lovely dinner, the two of them strolled around the park at night—if it was a good place to be in at the daytime, then it was easily one of the most beautiful places in the night. The lights actually welcomed late-night strollers. It wouldn't be long until the two of them made it to the room. "What is it that you wanted to…" Before Vincent could continue with his sentence, he found Yuffie jumping up onto his chest, and then pinning him down on the bed in a passionate kiss and hug. At that, his motion of trying to peel her off of him turned into one of embracing her as he returned the fiery kiss, and his grunts of protest started dying out in her throat as they drowned in her moans while their tongues danced with the same fervor as that moment a few months ago._

_Yuffie then broke the kiss to look Vincent in the eye. "I remember you…you were there for my birthday when I was six…you showed up, left a present for me, and then left to talk to mom and dad. What were you talking about?"_

_Vincent flinched upon hearing that Yuffie remembered him…well, he'd better come clean now that she remembers him. He sighed before he began his tale; "They wanted to know how I was since I last wrote, and they also asked for the latest INTEL since I was recruited into the Turks and climbed to being a head of the group…my high position at the time gave me clearance to highly-classified information, although my skills and training as a spook made it easy to cover my tracks thoroughly as I stole INTEL from Shin-Ra. I aided them because I did not respect Shin-Ra at all—despite working for them, I only willingly did so in spite of the draft because of the terrorism pandemic; I hated terrorists with a passion that I was willing to join with the company that took my father away from me just so I could put them down and let people go about their lives in peace. Originally, after the terrorism pandemic was over, I was going to resign and take the money I earned as a captain at the time to go to music school…unfortunately, that was not so, as I was drugged and then taken to the Turks for training in spy school—I performed so many missions perfectly that I became the undisputed leader of the Turks…and as a form of rebellion, I chose to see your parents and agreed to be their double-agent in revenge for all the souls they killed unjustly…for all the souls I've killed on their orders._

_At this, the look on Vincent's face melted from impassive to sadness…Yuffie knew this given the amount of time she spent with him. "In any case, the INTEL I gave them on that day was on the plans Shin-Ra had for Wutai and where they planned to attack…that INTEL was the reason that Wutai had done a very heavy amount of Shin-Ra before her defeat…although there was one factor in the long run that changed everything…that factor caused the defeat of Wutai, and stole your mother from you and your father…the factor that was of my sin for not stopping Lucrecia…the sin that belonged to my own flesh and blood—no, my own child to be specific…"_

_Yuffie pondered and looked on at Vincent…he never mentioned that he had gotten some girl pregnant. Although she was puzzled at first, she then realized everything that he said added up—and at that, she realized the cause for his sadness, and the identity of his kid. She looked on in his eyes to see the real regret in them, especially since they were near tears. "Have you known all along?"_

_The tears had broken out…there was no avoiding them for Vincent now. "No. I was travelling around the world, and I figured I'd pay Lucrecia a visit since I was in the area at the time a few weeks ago. She let it slip in the conversation once, and I pressed her on about it—she wouldn't say anything, but I figured it out anyway. When I confronted her about it, she was in tears—or as close to tears as she could get. At that moment, I lost a good deal of respect for the woman that I loved—the woman who was supposed to be the mother of my child…a child that I could have held…a child that I could have taught and been a role model for…to play catch with…to spend time with at the Golden Saucer…a child that I could have loved…but instead, I the only time I had to spend with my son was to be an accessory in putting him out of his misery—to end his torment at the hands of JENOVA. I've shot at my own son Yuffie…what kind of father does that?"_

_Yuffie didn't know what to say—Vincent's son was responsible for the pain of everyone in AVALANCHE…it must have hurt to find out that the man you helped to slay was your own son. She pulled Vincent's sobbing head to her chest, and hugged it tightly while running her fingers through the silky curtain that was his hair. "Shh…shh…it's okay. You didn't know at the time…and Lucrecia kept you in the dark about it…you're not to blame—if anything, Hojo and Lucrecia should be the ones shouldering everything…just don't do this to yourself, don't shoulder the blame for anyone else like that anymore—I just can't take you being in so much pain. I don't want you to hurt yourself like that anymore…_

_She then felt his hands snaking up behind her and wrapping themselves around the small of her back. They locked themselves in a loving embrace for the remainder of the night, even as Vincent cried himself to sleep. When he woke up the next morning, Vincent found Yuffie still asleep, with her arms around his chest and her face nuzzled against it. He simply placed his arms around her body and watching her back rise and fall with her breathing and feeling the beat of her heart through his sensitive sense of touch. He'll have to escort her home now; after all, she needs to be with her people…to be with her father…_

_As soon as he took Yuffie to the docks, the two of them sat at the benches waiting for the ship to arrive. She found a place for her head on his lap as they were sitting there and watching for her transport home to come. The silence was palpable, and neither said anything to each other…but Vincent broke the silence by running his fingers through her short and brownish-black hair while humming a tune that his mother had always sung for him when he was a child. "My mom hummed that song for me when I was little," she said, "it was the only song so far that I liked the most—so much that I always hum it the way she did since she died…I didn't want to forget her."_

"_And she will stay alive forever Yuffie…because you have her in your heart."_

_The ship had arrived, and two days and four tranquilizers later, Yuffie's energy had suddenly spiked up upon reaching land at Wutai. "Thanks for the nice time Vinnie," she said with a smile after calming down for a bit, "I really enjoyed it, and I hope to do it again some time."_

"_I'll try to invite you again at that time of year."_

_Yuffie's smile widened and she jumped up to give Vincent a kiss on the lips. "I'm looking forward to it!" With that, she let go of him, and ran towards Wutai—pausing only a moment to turn and wave good-bye to him…before he turned and walked back into the ship…the blush on his face remained, but nobody saw it as it was hidden by his cape—but he would not trade the surge of electricity running through his heart from that kiss for anything…

* * *

_

Present-day…

Vincent woke up from his nap in his wheelchair…the muffled vibrating sound of the propellers turning was clear in the air. "Vince, you okay?" it was Yuffie with a concerned look in her eyes.

"I'm fine…it's just that I am excited to do this…I'm just nervous that this is the first time I'm doing any of this."

She the smile on her face had brightened him up. "It's okay Vincent, I'll be there with you all the way…well, I can't say the same for that wine thing, but I'll be there for you every step of the way."

With that, Vincent smiled sincerely for his wife as he pulled something out of his hand…and to Yuffie's surprise, it was her Sleep materia! Vincent laughed well as Yuffie patted herself all over…only to pull a wallet out of her pocket—a leather wallet with VV engraved on it filled with several hundred gil. He had finally finished his list of things to do, and recalled what it is that the two of them wanted to do, after checking that they had a head start on their list of things to do:

* * *

Yuffie's list:

Hunt a dragon

Find largest tree in world

Have conversation with Lucrecia without hurting her feelings

Taste spiciest food in the world

Find mom's silk booties she made for me

Pick Vincent's pocket (check!)

* * *

Vincent's List:

Explore the depths of Wutai's ports

Taste best wine in the world

Pick Yuffie's pocket (check!)

Parachute off the Highwind into Nibelheim

Visit peak of Mt. Nibel

Find mom's clinic and save it (build memorial if it's not there anymore)

Hold daughter for first time

* * *

_**A/N: The idea behind the Western Continent legal drinking age comes from the US and Canada, where the legal drinking ages are 21 and 19 respectively. Wutai is a little more lax as manners had fallen with the economy. And to those who have not guessed the identity of Vincent's kid yet, shame on you—the hints are right there!

* * *

**_

_**Songs Played:**_

"_**Tifa's Theme (Piano Version)" by Nobuo Uematsu—Vincent's first song of the night.**_

"_**Her Most Beautiful Smile" by Noriyuki Asakura—Vincent's second song.**_


	6. Arriving in Wutai

_**A/N: First stop; Wutai. When Vincent and Yuffie reach the motherland, what changes have been implemented since last we saw of the island nation? And if you're not into smut, then please avoid this chapter. Other than that, do read and review would you kindly?**_

_**

* * *

**_

Time until Vincent's life expires: 24 days, 5 months…

Wutai National Airport…

Vincent sat around as Cid wheeled him around the crowded airport with Yuffie and Shera carrying a strap-on baby carriage with little Blake Highwind inside and following the two men. The hustle and bustle of the crowds watching the four people walk through the sea of bodies…Wutai had been going through many changes ever since Yuffie took power as the new empress after defeating Godo in the pagoda. Her ties with the WRO have aided in rejuvenating the economy—now there is no longer an annual quota for attracting tourists to Wutai as the funds for jump-starting the economy went into the creation of jobs, and one of the biggest industries was in transportation. Newer technologies researched in the island nation led to the creation of better merchant ships than seen in even Midgar for a more efficient means of transportation and trade between the nations…these technologies made it so that all ships could now run at optimum power while using a small amount of fuel. Such technologies have taken Wutai a good distance past modernization as the Wutainese practically on their way to being a more powerful nation than even Midgar in its prime.

In order bring the economy back up to par, Yuffie spent all the money lent to her by Reeve in a gambit on one single resource—a resource that was inspired from her date with Vincent at the Golden Saucer…and that resource was silk! The way she used the money was to loan some eggheads the money to make silk quickly and cheaply while at the very least maintaining the quality that Wutainese silk was known for—and their solution resulted in eco-friendly silk farms where the material was made all year round. The gambit was well worth it as the silk being produced was now mass-produced daily at a significantly lower price while still retaining the comfort, breathability, and durability that Wutainese silk was known for…and now the demand for the textile material was high all around the world.

Vincent's hand in the revival of Wutai came shortly after Yuffie's coronation and before her subsequent marriage to him. A man opposed to the coronation ran through the shrine with a pistol drawn, and Vincent immediately transformed into Galian Beast and tore the man's throat out before he could even pull the trigger. Right then and there, it was clear that before Yuffie could begin implementing her changes to Wutai, order was required—naturally, Vincent was given the task of forming a military police squad. Vincent sent out flyers for volunteers in the military police training program—once he received enough volunteers, he put them through a rigorous three months of firearms training, CQC training, riot control exercises, vehicular activities, and even tactical training…it wasn't long before the recruits that he had hand-picked and trained himself had made their first arrests. Soon, the militia grew large enough with so many volunteers to become the Wutainese Military Police Corps (WMPC) in the three months that followed while cleaning up the city of criminals, running the yakuza into the jail cells, and even gunning down every last member of any terrorist cells found. Even today, after his debilitating condition had been found out, he is still in command of the WMPC and the 13 precincts all over the city of Wutai…until he finds a successor. This is the most important business for him to be here in the first place aside from the list…to find a successor as commander-in-chief that he can trust the safety of the population to—a good cop. And so, their first stop after visiting Godo was at WMPC headquarters…after all, before they decide to embark on the quest to do all on their lists, it helps to tie up all loose ends first, and they had a week or two to do so.

They made their way out of the airport, and into the limousine that was waiting for them. The wheelchair was folded and placed in the trunk while Vincent was gently seated in the car. "Ichiro, we're going to the palace," said Yuffie to the chauffeur, "I want to see my father first."

"Yes ma'am."

Five minutes on the road, Vincent looked at all the buildings—many were still under construction, but he could see the modernization taking effect. Shops were getting renovated with better supports, houses started following the WRO engineering rulebook and thus they were made mostly out of concrete and steel although wooden houses still remain. This also allowed for the introduction of schools for all the economic classes. "The motherland has come a long way now hasn't she Yuffie?" The woman in question turned her head to look at her husband. "And it's all thanks to you…now she no longer has to rely on the charity of other nations—she is now strong and independent…she is beautiful now, the way that we remember her, and she is thanking you for doing this for her." Yuffie smiled—this was his attempt at making her feel better about the situation…however, before she could say a word, Vincent started coughing. She immediately started patting him on the back gently until he settled down before she gave him his medicine and his water bottle.

Dr. Edwards said that the medicine should be taken every six hours, whether or not it is a bloody cough. It would keep his lungs clear and temporarily fix the damage for the next six hours—however it would make him sleepy upon taking the pill, and should knock him out for an hour or two if he does fall asleep. He also said to give him a call should Vincent start coughing blood even after the medicine is taken…this was due to his estimate that if Vincent starts to do so again, he will be weakened even further, thus saying that his time is almost up.

Yuffie looked on at the form of her husband as he slipped away onto the dreamland express. She always did enjoy watching him sleep—especially on those rare instances when she wakes up before he does. It wouldn't be long before she followed Vincent on that same car to dreamland…

* * *

Flashback…roughly three years ago…

_The lights of the town below his apartment were a very beautiful sight, especially in the nightfall. No fireworks yet, but the festival added to the life in Kalm whenever it happened. Although he liked to travel more, Vincent always found himself coming back to this apartment—his travels never took him more than a day to get back nowadays for some strange reason. As he kept his status Oscar Mike, he kept on thinking back to the day he spoke with Lucrecia—the anger at the time he realized that he had aided in the death of his own son…but then again, Vincent realized that his anger was not directed at Lucrecia, rather it was directed at himself as usual…if he had been stronger in convincing her not to go through with it…if only he had reacted fast enough to kill Hojo…maybe he would have been holding Sephiroth in his arms and treated him the way he deserved to be treated—perhaps if Sephiroth knew what a real family was like, he would not have gone insane and he would not have been forced to kill him._

_His thoughts were interrupted when he heard the sound of knocking at his apartment door. Vincent put down the glass filled with Casa de Rodriguez Del Solian Sherry, turned from his seat on the open windowsill near his bed, and started walking towards the front door. The apartment was simple yet elegant, but it sufficed for his practical needs—his inheritance from Grimoire and the interest accumulated from his paychecks as a Turk and his military stipend were more than enough to pay for this apartment and still ensure that he would never need to work again, but he didn't add any furniture to the place. How could he when the apartment came with it already? Once he arrived at the hand-carved oak door, he took a look through the peephole, hiding his custom-built .500 S&W triple-barreled revolver Cerberus behind his back in case things got hot…upon looking through the hole, he saw a teenage girl holding what looked like a red pizza warmer. A diversion no doubt, because he certainly had not ordered pizza…oh well, he'd better humor a certain someone to see if his suspicions were correct. He then gently placed Cerberus on the table next to the door, and opened it…unknowingly giving the pizza delivery girl a sort of pornographic view of his bare and scarred chest. "Can I help you?"_

_The delivery girl was too busy ogling at him to answer—her iron-gray eyes were looking over each rippling muscle, and every scar on his body…her only word was 'uhhh' as she was stupefied at what she was looking at. Vincent cleared his throat and got her attention as she looked up at his blood-colored eyes. "Can I help you?"_

_Upon realizing that she was in the middle of work, the pizza delivery girl immediately started stammering and blushing as she shook the naughty thoughts out of her brain…although the naughty thoughts still remained and gave her a bloody nose. "Uh…ummm, yeah, I have an order here for a Mr. Valentine from Brick House Pizza…a 16-inch, 12-slice combo pizza…this comes on down to 13 gil."_

"_Well then…this is a good deal actually. I never ordered it, but I won't pass up a bargain." With that, Vincent pulled the wallet out from the table next to the door, and began fishing through the coin pouch until he found one silver coin and three of copper, and handed them to the teenager. He also found a platinum 25 gil coin, and placed it in her hand before moving his head in closer to whisper in her ear. "Your tip, and to compensate for any further troubles to your boss." As soon as he pulled away, the pizza delivery girl's face became the color of a tomato as she opened the pizza warmer, and pulled out the cardboard box holding the said pizza and handing it to Vincent. "Thank-you so much."_

"_N-no sir, thank-you for the wonderful business!"_

_The second he closed the door, Vincent could have sworn he heard giggling from behind it, as well as the footfalls of the delivery girl running away. He sighed as he walked back into the apartment—now his stalker was inside. "You do realize that you owe me money now don't you?"_

_From the shadows of his bedroom, Vincent heard the giggling of a certain girl—no, woman now, after the events of the past year or so. "Aw, come on Vinnie, you have to admit, it was brilliant!" He knew it…only Yuffie would come up with something this stupid…but that was what he loved about her—she always seemed to be able to surprise him, and as he thought of it, he noted that she had walked out of the shadows of his bedroom with his glass of sherry in her hands…the now eighteen-year-old Yuffie was standing in front of him._

"_Oh my god Vince, you're looking so good tonight."_

"_As are you."_

_The next thing that happened was that Yuffie moved on in and embraced Vincent in a passionate hug. "I missed you so much…"_

_His response to her loving grip was to move his hand to her back and start stroking her short hair. "Likewise. And you happened to have ordered this pizza at a good time. I haven't eaten anything just yet, and I was about to go order something."_

_He simply sighed as he guided her to the sofa while placing the pizza box on the table in front of the sofa. Once he sat her down, he went into the kitchen, and found two ceramic plates before moving to the refrigerator. "Is there anything in particular you want with your pizza?"_

"_I'd like what you're drinking."_

"_Are you sure? This sherry is different from the sakè back home…and this is because I just opened the bottle."_

"_I'll be fine. You forget…us Wutainese have been drinking for a while now. I've built up a tolerance from drinking sake with my food—believe me, now it takes a lot of shots to bring me down."_

_Vincent smirked only a little. "Well my mother insisted that I was too young to drink on my own as I was growing up, so I wouldn't know—the only time that I would get to even touch a shot of wine was on our birthdays when she would bring out the cups and we would toast to take the shot as was the tradition…other than that, she kept me on a balanced diet with tea. I did not become an enthusiast for wine until Grimoire took me away from Wutai, although he did also increase my vocabulary in teas. Anyway, are you sure that you want to? Because Casa de Rodriguez sherry is really strong."_

"_Just serve the damn wine!"_

_He simply shrugged his shoulders as he pulled out the glass. "It's your funeral."_

_With that, he carried two plates, the glass, and the bottle of Casa de Rodriguez towards the living room, and opened the box to serve the pizzas…one slice each. Vincent's next move was to uncork the bottle of sherry, and pour a good-sized amount of wine for Yuffie and then served the food and drink to her. The two lifted their glasses, toasted, and then drank the wine…Yuffie choked a bit when tasting the drink before Vincent raised a hand and started patting her gently. "What the hell kind of drink is this? Wasabi juice?"_

_He simply chuckled. "This sherry is of a higher proof than the average filtered sakè you're used to, so it should be expected that it would warm your throat. Eat the pizza—the sherry should have made it taste better by now." With that said, Yuffie eyed her pizza suspiciously. She then took a bite out of that gooey and greasy, yet delicious bit of cooking genius—and to her surprise, it actually tasted much better as the bitterness of the sherry had enhanced her taste buds to the point that she could taste all the subtle nuances in the pizza that made it good, from the creaminess of the cheese to the savory and spicy flavor of the pepperoni, all the way down to the slight acidic flavor of the tomato paste._

"_Good?"_

_She spoke shortly after swallowing. "Heavenly."_

"_So how are things back at Wutai? Have the people been treating you better now that the geostigma epidemic is over?" It was then that he started on his pizza._

"_Yeah. Things have been getting better—now they're apologizing for the hell they put me through over the last year or so, my relationship with dad is getting better thanks to your talk when I was 16, the economy is starting to stabilize so that we won't need to rely on tourists so much…all sorts of good things…"_

_As he swallowed his food, Vincent caught the look of weariness on her face—there was something else. "What happened?"_

_Yuffie sighed as knew she couldn't avoid it. "Everyone's starting to ask questions."_

_Just as he was sipping away at his sherry, Vincent nearly choked upon hearing that phrase—it was then that he cleared his throat upon regaining his senses while wiping his mouth with the napkin provided with the pizza. "Are you speaking of everyone back at Wutai or in AVALANCHE?"_

"_No…it started off in Wutai, and then everyone started gossiping."_

"_How long has this been happening, and how did it start?"_

_Yuffie then sighed…it was probably going to be a long story. "Well…first, dad came up to me a few weeks ago and started setting me up with various suitors. I told him that I was not interested, but he was not going to have any of it (you and I both know I have to be married by the time I'm 20), so I tried to tell him that I was not interested because my heart already belonged to someone. Needless to say, he kept asking questions…to the point that he had to resort to asking Chekov to come on in and get the information from me in our sleepover a few weeks ago…Shake too. Now don't get me wrong, those two are like sisters to me, but I didn't want to share what we have with them…I think that's the reason we're still going good and hot—even though we have a sort of long-distance relationship, it's surviving because it's a secret._

"_So anyway, one day, I decided to leave and pay a visit to Tifa first, and I heard from her that the whole world was making gossip behind my back…you wouldn't believe how many outlandish rumors I've heard. Some said that I lied to dad so that he'd get off my back…others said that I sold my body off to some dirty old man…and even one rumor stated that I was dating Cloud! Could you believe that?"_

_Vincent chuckled lightly…in the time that Yuffie had spent with him, she knew how rare even a giggle from him was, and so she cherished them very much. "I'm sorry Yuffie, but I can't help but think that one of them was ironically correct in a way. You haven't sold your body to me, but the fact remains that you are seeing an old man…"_

_The look in her eyes at that point had changed before she grinned lustfully while putting her plate and wine down. "Yeah…you're a bad old man all right…but you know what? I'm an even naughtier little girl!" That one phrase was enough to make his manhood stand at attention—not enough to allow his desire to take over, but still enough to get him slightly aroused. What made him forget about eating however was what she said next—the second that she positioned her mouth next to his ear, her breath and her words immediately hardened his cock even more: "I want you to punish me, because I've been a very bad little girl!"_

_The desire was too much—suddenly, he no longer was in the mood for pizza…no, not when Vincent found himself devouring Yuffie's throat, eliciting a moan as he dropped the dish onto the table started rubbing her breast with one hand while moving upwards of her neck one kiss at a time before he targeted her mouth. The savory taste of the pizza and the bitter taste of the sherry were dwarfed by the sweetness of Yuffie's passionate kiss being returned…oh how he missed that peach-like taste from almost two years ago. As they were locked in their kiss, Yuffie moved her hands down Vincent's pants, and started unbuttoning and unzipping them while his movements did the same to her shorts. Vincent pulled her into him with his left arm while using the right hand to slip under her panties and then start rubbing her clit as she returned the movement by running her finger up and down his manhood through his red boxers in a smooth and gentle motion. It wouldn't be long until the two of them started panting the second they released at the same time._

_Vincent moved his head closer to Yuffie's ear, and whispered. "Forget dinner, I think I'll be enjoying my dessert now…but first, what says you to continuing this part of the meal in a setting that is more…comfortable?" The electric feeling of ecstasy that ran down Yuffie's spine upon hearing that sentence registering oh-so-gently amplified her senses more than the feeling of the whisper blowing gently past her ear. Oh, she knew what he was saying…and she had to agree—the bed was a much better place for lovemaking than the couch…and for suggesting it, she will ride him, and she will ride him hard! And that was exactly what she was planning to do as she followed his steps to the bedroom._

_The second they both reached the room, Yuffie nearly had a nosebleed upon seeing those loose black leather pants fall to the ground—she wasted no time in stripping down ever-so-slowly the second Vincent turned to look at her. The desire was there, as was all the passion and love, and it only heightened his lust as he watched Yuffie slip the shirt off, before throwing it towards his face and then sauntering closer to him as she unclasped her bra to reveal her size 32B breasts. As she swung her hips around, her shorts had fallen off—revealing a pair of green underwear with a white rose motif on the back. Her lustful smile made it all the more desirable for him—he can't wait anymore, but fortunately for him, it was Yuffie that made the first move again. It would appear that her signature move would be the pounce, as the second she was within a few inches of his chest, she wrapped her arms around his back and started devouring Vincent's neck, eliciting a groan of pleasure from the man while she used her right leg to straddle his thigh and his scrotum in an up-down motion while Vincent teased her clit with his ungloved left hand._

_As she had her nose over his body, Yuffie breathed in the scent of her favorite gunslinger. The smell of gunpowder, hot tea, and fresh Wutainese spices were making her even hotter and wetter than when the two of them teased each other earlier, and the groans coming out of Vincent's throat with each kiss were not cooling her down any. The minute her kisses moved on into his mouth, she tasted a very good sensation as soon as she danced her tongue with his—cinnamon with a hint of apple…it's been so long since she last tasted this kiss. In the middle of her straddling, she found that he had hardened again…oh she'll want some more heat coming out of that man that she so loved. She wasted no time in breaking their kiss and starting to kiss him on the cheek, before moving down his neck, following through with biting on the elastic of his boxers and then pulling downwards and letting his manhood gently touch her on the nose before she moved her mouth to kiss it at the base. The next move she made was to run her tongue up and down the member ten times before swirling her tongue at the tip in a few turns, and then engorging it and using the entirety of her mouth to stroke it._

_Vincent could not resist but to put his hands behind her head, pushing it down in rhythm with her movements, groaning every time she went downward…it was not like the blowjob she gave him on their first time together—at the time, she did it while trying her best to make it feel good. This time, it started off like that, but tonight, she had a new addition to her technique; she didn't jump right into the deep-throat immediately…she started off halfway on the shaft, keeping the motions going up and down up to that point several times before finally going down all the way on what he counted as the sixth stroke—it was then that he had voiced the question in his head. "Your technique here has gotten better. Where did you pick this up?" Yuffie pulled her head off of his cock, and started stroking him with her left hand—a small and lustful grin on her face as she turned her body around and positioned his face in front of her nether-lips. "You have our first time together to thank for that—every summer since that day I've been getting dirty thoughts of you and your friend here whenever I buy a popsicle, and so I imagined the popsicle to be your cock as I licked every inch of it."_

_It was then that she gently smashed her pussy down as he put his arms around her hips to close it towards his mouth…Vincent then started bucking his hips forward while he licked up and down on the slit several times before digging his tongue inside her—and then sucking away at the area as he teased her vagina with his tongue with every attempt to go deeper. Yuffie noticed him gasp and she felt a hot and slimy sensation in her hand and she briefly went into a spasm as she found herself squirting her juices onto Vincent's face…she stroked his cock a few more times with her mouth in order to lubricate it in his cum, and then she positioned herself over his rod before impaling herself on the length. The moan that elicited from her throat was enough to guarantee that Vincent's manhood would be raging while she started moving up and down the roughly nine inch-long and four inch-thick length of hot and hardened meat and blood vessels slowly in a rhythmic motion as she turned and faced him—the motions were reciprocated with Vincent bucking his hips as she moved downward on the shaft._

_It was then that the two of them gripped each other in an embrace, Yuffie around Vincent's neck, and Vincent from around the small of her back. As they bucked their hips in synchronization with each others' movements, their lips were locked together in a passionate kiss—giving each the opportunity to taste themselves in each other's mouths while their tongues danced around. The motions were slow and gentle—it wouldn't be long now…Yuffie promised herself that she'd ride him hard, and that's what she gradually did with every up-and-down motion…she was getting closer, and Vincent knew it—and in response, his ministrations moved faster while they grabbed each other's hands through their fingers as Yuffie flung her head backward, giving Vincent a better view of her small and pert breasts bouncing in front of him._

_The rate at which the ministrations happened had increased as did the strength of each thrust. "Oh yes…yes, right there! Right there! Fuck me harder! Harder! Har…aaah!"_

_It was then that Yuffie clenched herself around Vincent's length did the two of them finally release._

"_YUFFIE!"_

"_VINCENT!"_

_Their bodies had been frozen in place as the orgasm washed through them, vibrating them in pleasure before Yuffie pulled herself off weakly and fell forward onto Vincent's body as he pulled the blanket over them…this night's session of love-making was tiring…the last thing that Yuffie remembered was that she was cuddling up to Vincent and holding him to his chest as her legs straddled him _

_The next morning, Yuffie woke up first…feeling something around her. As she looked around, she found that she was being hugged by Vincent. Now they were cuddling each other—and as she looked up, she saw Vincent's face smoothed out. Usually, he was the first to awaken, but this was the first time she had seen Vincent like this—he was so peaceful, almost like when she first saw him. However, unlike that time, she didn't get that good of a look due to the cloak obstructing the lower end of his face, and she was never really a view this close up to him before. It was so beautiful that she couldn't break her gaze of him sleeping—morbid because his pale skin made him look like a corpse, but beautiful nonetheless. She gently reached her hand out, and gently ran it against his cheek, then his around his jaw before she moved on in and embraced him by his neck as she started kissing it. Hearing him groan slightly, she knew she woke him. "The second time we do this, and for some reason you never failed make it as special as that time—maybe even better."_

_She grinned lustfully at her lover. "Because I'm me, and I'll make anything special!" Her smile then started to shrink ever-so-slightly. "So…we have to go back to the 'you have no right to call this number' routine?"_

_He kissed her forehead. "For as long as it takes for you to be ready to break it to everybody. And when you do, I'll be there with you…holding your hand if you wish it."_

_The smile on her face had increased in size before she planted a kiss on Vincent's lips. "Vince, I'll always have your hand in mine—even if you're not there, I can just see you here."_

_The two of them dressed up and Vincent had escorted her out of the apartment, even going to see her off to the chocobo stables where her loyal gold "Kenji" sat around and watched waved to her as she rode off into the daylight. "You do realize that it was unnecessary and impolite to spy on us like you did correct?"_

_Out from the shadows, and lone figure had emerged—his body type was much more muscular than Vincent's lithe frame, but it still kept true to the feline body type that the Wutainese were known for. If Yuffie could compare the two men right now, she would consider Vincent to be reminiscent of a tiger due to his scars, while Godo was more lion-like with his muscular form, beard, and shaggy long hair. "How long have you known Valentine?"_

"_Oh dear—still no respect for your elders I see. Eh, I've known you've been following Yuffie since I noticed you sneaking out of my bedroom in that inappropriate scene for you last night. And let me tell you, you've gotten better at moving stealthily since I last saw you—hence why she never noticed you…but you're still very messy in your technique, hence why I did."_

"_And you expect me to keep up with you? You've been 27 for the past thirty or so years; of course you're still better at sneaking around than me—even if you've gotten rusty I can't seem to remain undetected to you."_

"_So, is there any reason why you wanted so badly to know who your daughter was with? You of all people know that I don't take kindly to perverts, even if they were my best friends."_

_Godo sighed. "I guess I was overly worried. I know that I shouldn't have seen what I saw, but I was still concerned…I knew my daughter was in love with someone, but I never figured that it would be you. The question I have however is; what are your intentions with her?"_

_Vincent, growing up in Wutai, could see where this was coming from. The concerned father of any Wutainese girl had the right to ask the intentions of her lover—the same could be said of any loving and caring parent. "It is as you saw Godo. I really do love her…but I can see in her eyes that she's not ready for marriage just yet. I've already come to realize that Dr. Crescent was not the one for me—I will always have a small place in my heart for her despite everything that had happened, but now Yuffie has occupied the majority of it. When she feels that she's ready to hear the wedding bells, I'll be waiting for her…if she is not; then all I can say is that she is a woman worth waiting for—even if I have to wait another thirty years to see her again."_

_The tone of sincerity in his friend's voice was clear. Godo knew that Vincent was a man of his word…and he was content to know that his daughter fell in love with the right man. It made him happy to know that there was still a Wutainese man walking about that was not related to her by blood—even if he was biracial, which made him a social pariah during his childhood. The reason being that all of the Wutainese men that were unrelated to Yuffie had died during the war…thus it was now accepted for the royalty to have a peasant spouse—as the aftermath of a war with that sort of outcome tends to leave everyone with little choice in terms of unrelated marriage partners._

"_Are you going to make this public?"_

"_Are you kidding? This would top the charts as number-one scandal in Wutai. I had hoped it false, but now I know that the rumor of dating an AVALANCHE member is true…it's just that it won't be who everyone thinks."_

"_And I suppose you're not going to say a word of my confession to Yuffie."_

"_I already know she's in good hands. There's no need for me to press the issue any further."_

"_Ah yes, and before you go…the day after my first time with Yuffie…I saw the spirit of Michiko. She looked happy, although she also seemed sad that she went to the Lifestream without you—before she went back, she made me promise to take care of Yuffie, and even though she never said a word about it, I know she'll be waiting for you on the other side when it's your time."_

_Vincent didn't need to turn around to know that his friend had left. Godo now had information of his wife and that was enough to brighten that spark he had in his heart. With that said, he left, and went back to his apartment…_

_

* * *

_

Present Day…

"Are you certain of this Yuffie?" asked Godo, looking at his pregnant daughter, and his friend-turned-son-in-law, "That Vincent is going to die?"

Vincent lay in the bed, listening in on the conversation as he took his pill—somewhere in the middle of their drive here to the palace, she put him here so that he could rest. From what he could hear, her voice had sounded dead—oh Godo knew she was serious all right. Yuffie had spent the last hour or so telling him everything that had been happening so far. It was hard to accept that his son-in-law was going to die; and a year and a half into his marriage to his daughter to boot…that was way too soon for that 'until death do they part' clause of the marriage. "Look, we're here to take like one week to get our affairs in order before we go gallivanting around to finish our lists off. Vincent doesn't have much time, so the sooner we finish everything off, the better, because then we'll have more time to do everything. I mostly came to get a head start on everything by telling you first…after that, we have to get everything written up—a will, the final diplomas for the graduates from the military police academy, the next person to take up Vincent's position, everything."

"And I don't blame you for taking that one week. But still, are you sure that you're okay with this? What about the princess inside of my princess? What are you going to do when her father is not around to help you take care of her?"

"Dad, I'll manage. I know that being a single mom is not going to be a walk in the park, especially not for me. But it's worth it because she'll be all I have left to remember Vincent by when his time comes and so I'll treasure every moment I spend with her, the good and the bad. Who knows? She may even be there for you should my time come earlier than expected. In any case, I'm adamant on still having the baby."

"Very well then, I'll see what I can do to help you. Oh yes, and by the way, several of the tribal chieftains have come here to see you for some peace and trade agreements. You know how they are like…actually on second thought; Vincent does, given that his mother came from the tribes prior to her enlistment in the imperial guard. They'll come back in two days, but when they do, I would recommend that you bring Vincent with you as I recall that he also speaks their dialect."

The Wutainese tribes have remained independent from the Kisaragi Empire, and up until the war against Shin-Ra, they had a tenuous truce with the empire. After Shin-Ra ended the war with the death of Empress Kisaragi Michiko, relationships between the two nations were virtually nonexistent—for after the defeat of the entire country to Shin-Ra, the Kisaragi Empire was knocked off its high horse of pride, and eventually resorted to tourism, criminal families, and gambling to fuel its economy, and so there was not much chance to actually connect. However, after the Meteor Incident, the Geostigma Epidemic, and the Deepground Invasion, the ties between the two nations strengthened, especially after the Deepground Invasion where Yuffie was named empress and she had unlocked the ability to transform herself with lessons from Vincent, the guardians of the Pagoda, and Godo himself.

According to what Vincent's mother taught him, the tribes were each a nation unto themselves; each one representing a territory on the island. The behaviors of each tribe matches where everybody comes from; for example, the members of the jungle tribe from which his mother came are the strong and silent type, with a heavy emphasis on ancestor worship and veneration of Da Chao—they are well-known among the tribes for being fine marksmen, and peerless hunters. As he thought on it, Vincent knew they'll have somewhat of a difficult time in the span of two days given that the tribes tended to favor associating with themselves, as he was not certain which tribes would be in attendance for this.

Before he could think anymore on it, he heard the sound of the door creaking closed. Vincent lifted his head to see his wife and empress sauntering towards him playfully. "Are you nervous about that meeting in two days?" she asked, laying down next to him on the bed, and then grinding her leg on his thigh, "I am," he stated, "but only because it's likely I'll be meeting other tribesmen for the first time. What about you?"

"The same…but only because the only member of the tribes I know of is you."

"Don't worry. I won't leave your side when it happens."

"Have you taken your medicine yet?"

"That I have."

"Then you won't mind if we join you in the bed?"

Vincent smiled. "Only if I get to talk to our little princess again."

Yuffie's smile was brief before it fell. "What's wrong Yuffie?"

"I just realized that the last time you do this for her is tomorrow."

Vincent's smile fell as he knew of what she spoke of. The Doctor Edwards only said that the most he could get was six months in total if he was lucky. It was then that his smile went back up ever-so-slightly. "Then we'll treasure every word that I say to her. But at the same time we have to remember to give her a name." It was then that he weakly started to shift his body towards the foot of the bed until he had his head close to her belly. Vincent pressed his head against the child-swollen lump of flesh that was Yuffie's belly, and held it close with what strength he had left.

"Do you hear that my little princess? We'll treasure every word I say to you. And I want you to know that I love you…even from the Lifestream, I'll always love you and your mother. Remember that."

Yuffie didn't know what to say—tomorrow could be the last day that he gets to spend time with their daughter. She simply held Vincent's head to her belly, and cried herself to sleep with silent tears of sadness. She'll do everything in her power to make Vincent's last days on this world the best he ever had, and she'll make sure that he gets to at least see his daughter before his time comes…this she swears!

* * *

_**A/N: Ahhh…the 16-inch, 12-slice combo pizza…brings back memories from California when I enjoyed these babies from Costco! They were of a very good quality, and of a reasonable price—nothing compared to the better pizza places though…with pepperoni, green peppers, those spicy meatball-things, red onions, maybe a mushroom or two, and black olives…yeah, those were the days. As to the sherry with pizza, I've yet to actually try that—this is based on what I've heard about for wine-food pairings (red wine goes well with red meat dishes, white wine and beer goes well with poultry and fish, vodka goes well with caviar, etc.). And as for the name of Vincent and Yuffie's daughter, suggestions for names would be lovely: I already have Victoria, Aoi, Tsubaki, and Shiroyuki on my mind.**_

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_**And my views on what demon enhanced what in Vincent:**_

_**Galian Beast: Speed, and physical senses (better vision, enhanced hearing, sharper nose)**_

_**Death Gigas: Strength and stamina**_

_**Hellmasker: Immune system strengthened, and the ability to see, hear, and sense ghosts**_

_**Chaos: Mystic attack and defense**_

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_**Songs Played:**_

"_**White Car" by Atom—the drive through Wutai and arrival.**_

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_**Vocabulary:**_

_**Ichiro—the chauffeur's name…in China and Japan, you can name your son after the order in which they are born (in Japan, Ichiro is the first-born son, Jiro is second, Saburo is third, Shiro is fourth, and so on).**_

_**.500 S&W—short for ".500 Smith and Wesson Magnum"; this is a revolver bullet, and a rather large one at that. Because it's a magnum round, it has plenty of stopping power due to it being a rather heavy bullet, however, the gun used to fire it is usually slower to fire, and you have to deal with a larger amount of recoil. Because Vincent's strength has been enhanced a bit, it's no problem.**_


	7. The Shaman's Diagnosis

_**A/N: Oh dear, a meeting with the chieftains, how will that turn out? And it would appear that there will be a revelation involving Vincent's condition and why the Wutainese royalty and the guardians of the Pagoda transform into monsters. Do read and review would you kindly?**_

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Time until Vincent's life expires: 22 days, 5 months…

Today was the day…if things go well, then Wutai would be having an easier time—the two people would be joining together. Cultures would be exchanged, as well as an opportunity to bury any hatchets the two peoples would be having up to this point. Vincent sat around in his wheelchair taking his dose of medicine with Yuffie next to him, and a servant prepared to push the seat as Cid and Shera started staying at the inn nearby the palace. Both were watching and waiting as the chieftains entered the gates of the palace. There were five men…four of whom from Vincent's viewpoint were dressed in the robes of chieftains his mother had told him about—each one representing an element and a territory where that tribe hailed from. The man in red robes with orange trim came from the fire tribe to the southern end of the island, known only as the Suzaku tribe. The one in a green pair of baggy pants with blue tattoos all over his bare chest was probably the current chieftain of the Seiryu jungle tribe of the east. The shirtless chieftain wearing a black silk overcoat and khaki pants was leader of the Genbu tribe to the north, and the man in the white changpao was the chieftain of the Byakko tribe to the west. The fifth man however, dressed in flowing yellow and white robes carrying a staff made from an old tree and a wreath of prayer beads around his neck—that must be the current Ouryu hermit, and the grandmaster shaman of the tribes.

The five men walked up slowly towards the married couple, and bowed from the hips after clasping their hands together. It was the shaman that spoke first. Vincent understood, but Yuffie didn't. "The hermit said, 'Empress Kisaragi, the four tribes and I greet you and your husband on this fine day. We hope that the discussion of the peace treaty will hold promise.'" "Tell them that I hope that these discussions come out well too. I just hope that we can benefit from everything that we share with each other." Vincent translated as he was told before he clasped his hands together and bowed from his back. As Vincent looked on at the hermit, he realized that he was looking right at him with a searching look in his eyes…perhaps the shaman would like to have a word with Vincent shortly after…

"Nami, come along…I want my husband to join in these talks."

The servant faced her empress and bowed low. "Yes milady." With that, she grabbed the handlebars to Vincent's wheelchair, and started pushing him such that she turned around to roll back into the palace along with Yuffie at the side, and the five representatives of the tribes following. The next few minutes were spent with everyone walking towards the council chambers. From this part of the palace, governors of the precincts of Wutai can discuss problems from all over the island country. The only ones not included so far in the council are the tribes—as of this day, they are all independent of the Kisaragi Empire, and thus they are not members of the council…however, the only means of correspondence between the tribal nations and the empire comes in the form of trade relations.

Nami may very well have been a servant for the day, but she also happened to be on the current roster of the imperial guard and was one of Yuffie's best friends—as a matter of fact, the entire Ishoka family was friends with the Kisaragi since the day the empire was founded by Kisaragi Heishiro. She had always been there for Yuffie as a friend for the majority of their lives—and five years her senior too. She aided in guarding Yuffie when she was blamed for the geostigma epidemic, and provided a shoulder to cry on when Vincent vanished from the face of the planet after Omega was destroyed and sent back to the Lifestream with Chaos in tow. She remembered the day that she found Yuffie on one of her holidays …

* * *

Flashback…roughly two years ago…

_Yuffie sat around at the counter with Tifa behind it wiping glasses in front of shelves stocked with all sorts of drinks—some of which she wanted to try, but was too bummed out to do so…there was not much else for her to do except sit around with her head on the counter. Vincent was not around—it left a hole in her heart to know that he could be dead. Tifa had been around yesterday to tell her that Cid had not called yet; and neither had Cloud. It was all she could do not to break down and cry…she had promised her mother on her grave that she would not be crying anymore, and so she waited patiently and holding up the dam. But the sadness and the worry that her heart would be broken by her loss had put cracks in that dam, and she was already leaking. Oh my god, what if Shelke found him first and talked him up? Nah, she wouldn't do that—she has Lucrecia's memories, and so she'll probably be more worried about whether or not Vincent's still angry at her for the revelation that Sephiroth is his son…even though he did tell Lucrecia a few weeks prior to this mess that he was not angry anymore._

_As to their relationship, so far, nobody else seems to be able to put two and two together between her and Vincent—mainly because neither of them had said a word of it to anyone in AVALANCHE, save Cid who had the sense not to tell anyone lest he suffers trauma from a pissed-off Vincent. Although Tifa started sending her sympathetic looks since last week…perhaps she suspects something? Nah, there was no way! But she did have another thought on mind; she could have sworn she saw a look of pity in Reeve's eyes giving her time off until it was confirmed that Vincent was alive and kicking. Leviathan, surely you can't be serious! There's no way everyone could know about this! As she thought more on it though, Cloud did volunteer to keep his ears peeled for any bit of news while he was out on the road, Barrett was keeping his eyes open, Nanaki joined Cid and Shelke on the search…oh, Leviathan was serious (at least about everyone suspecting correctly about the relationship), and somehow, she heard him ending that sentence with "…and don't call me Shirley."_

_She then heard the bells to the door opening. Tifa turned her head towards the new customer with a smile. "Welcome to the Seventh Heaven, how may I help you?"_

_The stranger sat next to Yuffie, whose face was turned away from the door. "I'd like to try out your Zangan Kick special please." The Zangan Kick was a spiced cocktail—it was twelve sticks of cinnamon and dried peppers soaked in vodka to allow a higher concentration of the juice to diffuse and mixed in with an ounce-for-ounce amount of scrumpy that balanced out the spicy taste with sweetness. It was so spicy that most people order it on the rocks, although some people were daring enough to drink it neat…although it also had the power to make people with colds feel better upon drinking it, due to the medicinal properties of the spices in the drink upon imbibing a single shot neat. "You want that neat or on the rocks?"_

"_I'll take it on the rocks."_

"_Okay then, one Zangan Kick on the rocks…coming right up." With that, Tifa started digging around under the counter to find the bottle of vodka she was using to soak the cinnamon sticks and dried peppers in. The stranger then took a seat next to Yuffie…she was so tired from her work that she needed to get some time off—and a holiday of sightseeing in some random place may help. In fact, Edge seemed like a good place to visit at the time…and she could see why—since the economy had been looking a bit better, and due to the fact that a hero from the Meteor incident lives there, she figured she may as well stop there for her vacation time. She sighed as she took a seat next to a girl wearing a blue blouse and yellow shorts…with a familiar short-cut…_

"_Yuffie? Lady Yuffie, is that you?"_

_Yuffie's eyes widened in surprise. Oh she knew that voice anywhere! She turned her head to find herself look upwards at the visage of Ishoka Nami…her childhood friend and a member of the Wusheng Imperial Guard. Although she was currently down, Yuffie always had time to act girly with her best friend…in fact…she squealed with her best friend, and the two of them gripped each other in an affectionate hug saved between sisters._

"_Nami! How are you doing?"_

"_I'm fine Yuffie! I'm on vacation now. You?"_

_Yuffie's smile dropped slightly, but was still there. "Oh the same…helped to save the world again…"_

"_Wow, that's got to be three times you've helped to save the world. So have you found a boyfriend yet?"_

_Yuffie was silent…her smile had dropped even more as tears started threatening to pour out—it was then that Nami silently gasped, and realized her mistake. She could do nothing but comfort her friend as the two of them sat down. "I-I'm sorry…I should have known…"_

"_Don't be Nami-chan…you didn't know…"_

_She was curious. "What happened to him?"_

"_I was right there next to him…and then just as the Lifestream was coming towards us, I froze…and then he pushed me out of the way…when I got back up, I couldn't do anything but watch, and call his name out…he's been missing for a while now, and I'm hoping that he hasn't died…although now I'm starting to think he has…"_

_As she spoke, Nami had her shot placed in front of her. "Yuffie, don't say things like that…you don't know…he might have survived…"_

"_It's just…I should have done more…I could have saved him…I mean…what if he doesn't come back?"_

"_If he cares about you the way I think he does, then there's no way he's not going to come back to you."_

_Her spirit was uplifted a bit, but before Yuffie could say another word, Tifa ran in with a smile on her face. "Yuffie! Come quick! They found him!" Upon hearing those words, Yuffie's eyes widened with surprise before they started squinting with glee. Nami followed her best friend to the back of the bar as she picked up the line from the older woman's hands. "Vincent!"_

_

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Present Day…

As the meeting went on, Nami reminisced on the happiness she saw in her sworn sister's eyes that day…and the way that she saw Mrs. Strife's eyes that day, it would seem that this was supposed to be a secret relationship, and yet, it would seem that the lines were not as subtle as the two of them thought. She did laugh when she saw the two of them blushing after being caught hugging—Yuffie, being the tomboy that she was openly claimed that she didn't care that people were watching…she was just glad that he was back.

And going back to the meeting with the chieftains, she noticed that of all four of the tribal representative present, only the chief shaman was silent—it was like he was spending the majority of his stay to look at Vincent. Maybe this shaman knows of his condition…in any case, she paid careful attention to the meeting. The words that the chieftains had used sounded similar to Imperial Wutainese, only different—this was not surprising as the Kisaragi Empire was a small group of tribes that came together and formed an alliance that created the territory that would one day become the imperial capital of Wutai. However, over time, the language was forgotten, and the only remnant of the tribal dialect in Imperial Wutainese was in a few words that sounded similar such as 'yisheng' and 'yisha'.

"And so, gentlemen," began Yuffie, while Vincent translated, "with this arrangement, not only will our relationship with each other go beyond economic purposes, but we'll be able to reunite our people and learn each other's cultures. Think about it…we could end and prevent any future tribal civil wars—that is the main goal of this meeting in addition to making up for lost time. I know that in the past, the empire was not kind to any of the tribes, but that was in the past and over the years after that, we've started getting along a bit better. I just want our people to reunite—to get along with each other and to have a better future together…and in addition to that I would like it if my daughter got to know a part of her blood. A part of her father's blood."

The shaman spoke up, and Vincent translated. "Grandmaster Shaman Wu says that he will discuss this arrangement with the other chieftains over the recess. It's a big decision; some of the tribesmen are conservative and would not want anything to do with the empire while others are more open to change. He also says that by the time the recess is over, they will have come with a clear-cut decision." With that, all the chieftains sat up, and bowed before the empress and her husband while Yuffie did the same. The arrangement was that the tribes would allow a better level for freedom of movement around the island nation, and in exchange, the Empire would build schools and hospitals for the tribes, while allowing tribal students easier access to the new university on the island by making tuition more affordable.

Yuffie turned to face Vincent. "You think they're going to accept the proposal?"

"The offer is too good to be true. And from the looks I gathered in their eyes, it would seem that they too are tired of the civil wars. Perhaps we will be the ones who end it after all these years…and a good thing too."

A cough brought their attention across the table to see the elderly form of the shaman looking at them. "I am sorry to bother your discussion, but I cannot help but notice something your majesty."

Yuffie's eyes widened in surprise. "Don't be surprised empress, in my youth, I've had to deal with Wutainese traders, and so I learned the Imperial Dialect as a result. I'd like to ask the man next to you a question or two."

Vincent bowed before the shaman. "It would be an honor shaman."

"How long ago were you separated from your guardian spirit?"

The response the shaman received was a look of shock. "I can see that you are a biracial child, and so it does not surprise me that you do not know as your parents probably never told you, and so I shall enlighten you. All people born or descended from the tribes are capable of transforming into monsters at will—at birth, a guardian spirit will bond with a tribesman for life; they will remain dormant awaiting an event that will synchronize the spiritual signal of the guardian spirit with the person's soul…once that happens, the process of aging begins to slow down until it has stopped entirely and the guardian spirit will allow the host to transform at will into its form. However in your case, I detect that you have synchronized with your natural guardian spirit and I see two more spirits and a hole where one had once resided. How is this possible?"

"I was experimented on…the scientists who did this to me forcefully merged me with a total of four demons. Only one of them seemed more familiar to me at the time though, while two of them seemed rather new, and the final demon that was 'bonded' to me as you say was Chaos himself. Chaos had been released back into the Lifestream."

"How long ago?"

It was then that he answered. "Two years."

"Then I am sorry—for there is nothing I can do to help you."

Yuffie turned to face the shaman. The hopelessness was clear in her eyes as tears threatened. "Why is that?"

"Normally, when you are separated from your guardian spirit after being synchronized, you would die instantly as your soul is bonded to that spirit for life through thick and through thin, but in your husband's case, he simply lost his immortality and his immune system is, for lack of a better phrase, 'extremely shot to hell', meaning that he will die much more easily, something like a withdrawal symptom if you will. Had he come to me or another shaman within one year after Chaos had been put back into the Lifestream, we would have been able to plug that hole up and he would have been right as rain, but now it's too late—not even putting Chaos back in the hole is going to save him as it's too big to even fit his power, and right now, the combined spiritual power of his other tenants is simply slowing down the rate at which that hole is widening. I'm sorry my lady."

The dam was near the breaking point—Vincent knew it when he saw it on Yuffie's face…and what the shaman had told them before he turned to leave the room with a pained look on his face confirmed his fears that it was hopeless. "Don't apologize," Yuffie finally said, "at least we now know what's happening. I look forward to hearing your answer to the proposal."

Shaman Wu simply opened the door hesitantly, and then closed it behind him. The silence was staggering, and it took five minutes before Vincent reached out to his wife's hand. "Yuffie …"

Her grip immediately tightened around his hand as soon as it made contact. "Don't say it Vince. Don't say anything. There's no use in making me feel better—no, just you being here is enough to comfort me. It's just that it's hard, being told that it's hopeless to save you…it's like, you're looking forward to seeing the good ending of a movie, and then you are broadsided by the sad ending."

"Yuffie, I…" Before Vincent could say another word, Yuffie pulled his head in to lock lips with him. "I'm sorry Vince…it's just…for now at least…I want to forget that I'm going to be losing you…"

Nami looked on at the couple—she was sad that their marriage had to end so soon. Only roughly a year and a half, and already her sister was losing her husband. With that on her mind, she vowed to Vincent silently that she'll ensure that Yuffie would be well taken care of…

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_**A/N: I'm still open for names just so you know…so please, don't be afraid. Do keep it up with the suggestions would you kindly?**_

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_**Songs Played:**_

"_**Departure" by Asakura Noriyuki—Revealing Vincent's condition.**_

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_**Vocabulary and Culture notes:**_

_**Byakko, Seiryu, Suzaku, Genbu, Ouryu—the five celestial beasts of Chinese mythology, each one representing a cardinal direction and a Taoist element: Byakko is the guardian of the west, symbolized by a white tiger, the element is metal; Seiryu is the guardian of the east, symbolized by a green or a blue dragon whose element is wood; Suzaku is the guardian of the south and is a red firebird; Genbu is the black tortoise entwined by a white serpent that guards the north, and is of the water element; Ouryu is the guardian of the center, and is a yellow earth dragon.**_

_**Scrumpy—this is basically the alcoholic version of apple cider.**_

_**Nami—Yuffie's best friend, her name means 'Wave'.**_

_**Changpao—this is the traditional Chinese men's jacket.**_

_**Yisheng—this is Mandarin for 'doctor'…the Japanese normally use 'sensei', but 'yisha' is fine too (especially when being specific).**_


	8. Will and Testament

_**A/N: And now we have the three chosen successors to Vincent's seat as general of the military police as he contemplates what to put on his will. And it would seem that Rude will make an appearance. Do read and review would you kindly?**_

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Time until Vincent's life expires: 21 days, 5 months…

The work was being handled carefully…the paperwork that Yuffie had been missing while she was away from her office was being caught up, and it was a since the chieftains had agreed to the agreement with a celebration happening shortly afterward, she had a good boost of energy to get the job done. Vincent on the other hand, had found three out of the thirteen appointed captains had the qualifications to be candidates for his successor as general of the military police:

First choice was Matsuyama Hiroaki, age 30, and commander of the 4th precinct. Within the short amount of time that the military police was active thus far, Matsuyama had the highest arrest record at 95 convicts in one year; it was matched point for point by Yuffie's older cousin, Lieutenant Kisaragi Sakura, age 28, with both of them catching the exact same number of convicts. He was a simple farmer, minding his own business and working hard to support himself and his family, while saving up for marriage until he lost his fiancé to a yakuza hitman that raped and killed her. Needless to say, for the next five years, he was devastated, and was drinking his money and the farm away—that is, until he saw a flyer for volunteers to try out as members of a military police force that Vincent was starting up. At that moment, when he saw that flyer, he remembered his own plight—and so from that point on, Hiroaki finished his last shot of sakè, and left the bar with a vow: The next time he picks up that shot again, it'll only be to celebrate a victory or to commemorate the day he lost her, and no other time…he will no longer spiral down the self-destructive path of alcoholism, and he will start to do something about it! He will not have another victim suffering at the hands of _**that man**_ again! The second his grades had checked out, and Vincent had started training him as a military police officer, he noted that Hiroaki was a rather hard-working individual, and very dedicated to his cause of making Wutai a safer place to live in…and as he watched, he also noted that he was rather dedicated to his family and with a newly-found sense of justice, tempered with the patience of a listener and a good friend…he also had developed the ability to improvise on the fly, which was a very good quality for any leader.

Second choice was Kisaragi Sakura who was in charge of the 7th precinct. Her personal crusade against the rising crime and poverty levels in Wutai had begun a few years before the war against the island empire initiated by Shin-Ra—being born and raised in the imperial family, she was naturally curious about the world outside the palace. Her father wanted to shelter her from any sort of suffering whatsoever wanting her to marry and settle down, but in the end, he failed when she snuck out and saw for herself the land that she lived in. She then confronted her father about what she saw, and vowed to never return to the palace until she had cleaned up the streets of Wutai of crime, and poverty, and the corruption running rampant in the city. And so, her seven-year crusade began with her first act as a vigilante: using the ninja training she had been going through, she instantly foiled a robbery before running off never to be seen again—although many random acts of vigilantism have been attributed to the gang of rogue ninjas she had started known only as the "Tiger Army" in honor of Li Xiao Long Nu and the "Twelve Tigers of Wutai". During the Wutai War, Kisaragi Sakura and her gang had offered their services to the defense of their homeland as auxiliary infantry forces, but shortly after the war, they went underground taking down gangs wherever they saw them. When Yuffie was crowned empress of Wutai, Sakura was present in the shadows during her coronation—and shortly after Vincent started posting the flyers for volunteers for the military police force, she and what was left of her gang immediately signed up after having gained a good deal of respect for the man for defending her cousin. Vincent noted that she was a good woman, rather hard on the outside, but with a tender side to her on the inside…she had true leadership qualities given her heritage and history, and to this day, she was the only person to tie with Vincent at shogi, go, and even chess—proving that her long-term planning skills were on par with their commander-in-chief.

And the third candidate was Niite Nobunaga of the 10th precinct, age 54. Nobunaga was a veteran of the war…when the shortage of troops had happened, he did not need to be conscripted—he volunteered. He knew then and there what needed to be done and why, despite his reluctance to join the army—which was a good quality of a leader; not hesitating and getting the job done good and proper. During the war, he counted 40 enemy soldiers slain by his hand…he was offered a promotion several times after making captain, but refused, saying that promotions were not of any use in the war when it got that bad. When Godo surrendered after the death of his wife, Nobunaga was not happy—after sneaking into the palace once in an attempt to kill him, he wound up talking with the emperor and he came to understand what went through the his mind when he surrendered. After the conversation with him, Nobunaga remembered what happened when his wife died on him because of disease—both men were broken by the loss of a woman they loved greatly…this would be the only time he hesitated, and in the end, he reconciled with Godo, and the two became fast friends within days after Yuffie went out into the world to steal materia to save Wutai. When Vincent put out the flyers for the volunteer tryouts, Nobunaga was instrumental in getting many other veterans together and incorporating them into the military police—he rose quickly through the ranks and had made 87 arrests by the time he regained his rank as captain.

Vincent then looked back to when the military police succeeded in its first assault with them a few weeks after training them.

* * *

Flashback: 1.5 years ago…

_It's been a while since that attempt on Yuffie's life. As Vincent sat around in the stealth helicopter loaned to Wutai by the WRO, loading Cerberus' eighteen chambers with .500 S&W hollow point rounds, he could remember that day well as he was part of the security detail…she was walking on her way to the temple with the guards following close behind. In Wutai, prior to walking to the temple in order to make a coronation official, if the empress wishes to rule independently, then she has to not only defeat the guardians of the pagoda, but she has to be recognized as the heir in the first place, otherwise, she will only be considered a guardian of the pagoda and nothing more. If she succeeds in being able to rule independently, then she can marry on her own terms instead of having to deal with an arranged marriage—this was an unbreakable law, for while Kisaragi Heishiro managed everything just fine, it was Kisaragi Rin who was said to have been the one who actually wore the pants in the house although they both shared rule. As a matter of fact, it would appear that ALL female members of the Kisaragi that were chosen to be the heir or who married into the family happened to be women who were rather strong-willed._

_Going back to the matter that prompted the formation of the military police, as he watched Yuffie walk down that aisle, all was peaceful until he heard that one word that threatened his love—that one word that caused the beast within him to awaken, and attack the one who uttered it. A man ran out and into the aisle crying out "whore" carrying a 9mm pistol in his hand pointing it at the general direction of Yuffie's head. After getting out one shot, he never got the chance as Vincent transformed into Galian Beast, pushed the man's arm up, and clamped his jaws around the assassin's throat and ripped out his trachea and larynx in one motion while severing his jugular veins with his canine fangs. After transforming back into himself, Vincent ran back and checked up on Yuffie…fortunately, she dodged that shot that would have taken her head off her shoulders. The next day, she was properly crowned the empress with a tighter security around the temple, and her first act was to start up the Wutainese Military Police Corps from volunteers and veterans alike. It was a harsh few months, but it was worth it for the volunteers because this would be the first day that they'll see action—and from the moment he saw their discipline and their strength, he knew that they were ready._

_Vincent checked his semiautomatic .50 BMG sniper rifle with a built-in sound-suppressing muzzle brake and checking to make sure that the barrel was clean. He had five 6-shot sniper rifle clips on his combat harness, and enough speed-loaders for four full reloads for Cerberus. He also checked the scope of his sniper rifle and made sure the sights were clean and working properly. With that, he put the microphone of his headset close to his mouth. "This is Team Alpha, we are good to go. All other teams please respond."_

"_Team Bravo here, we are locked and loaded."_

"_Team Charlie here, we are good to go."_

"_Team Delta responding, we are good to go."_

"_Team Echo, we are Oscar Mike."_

"_Team Foxtrot, we are armed and ready."_

"_Team Golf, locked and loaded."_

"_Team Hotel, we are green and we are mean."_

"_Team India, point us to our prey."_

"_Team Juliet is Oscar Mike!"_

"_Team Kilo, ready to bring down the hammer."_

"_Lima Team, we are good to go."_

"_Team Mike, it's about time we did this!"_

_Vincent smiled. Each team consisted of ten people, all of whom were rather qualified after a crash course in his boot camp, and it was time to get them clear on this mission. "All teams listen up. You've all been trained for this moment, and by Leviathan, we are going to show those crooks that they can't push around the people of Wutai anymore. With this assault, we'll cut the head off the snake and we'll be able to start working our home into the beautiful place it once was. You all have your missions, and so I trust you all know what to do. It's high time we clamped down on the biggest yakuza families in Wutai, and once we're done with this assignment, we will start doing our jobs as cops. Remember, those families deal with terrorist scum, so any tango you see, light them up. And now, ladies and gentlemen, synchronize your watches because 'Operation: New Dawn' begins in 5…4…3…2…1! Mission start!"_

_With that word, everyone rappelled down from their respective helicopters, and stole through the streets of Wutai. Tonight was the gathering of all the biggest yakuza lords in the land. In the past, the yakuza were actually honorable, and it was considered to be proud of among the civilians to be a member—nowadays, with lawlessness running amok, people found that the yakuza were getting deeper and deeper into committing crimes rather than preventing them, being concerned only with profits. It would be on this night that Wutai would begin to clean up her streets of crime, and poverty will be at an all-time low…once the biggest yakuza lords are killed off, and the civilians are left alone, Wutai's law enforcement will be re-established, and from that point on, there will be no more killing unless in times of war._

_It took five minutes, but everyone had snuck around in the shadows to make it to their respective areas: Teams Alpha through Delta took the north end of the building, Echo through Golf were at the east, Hotel through Juliet at the south, and Kilo through Mike were at the west. The building was a large and abandoned temple, a good place for a meeting given its anonymous location, and with the estate having so much room meant for monks, there would probably be enough room for an army of yakuza soldiers. With that on mind, the first phase of Vincent's assault plan was carried out…all snipers, including himself, would move into the surrounding buildings, and take out all the guards in the temple. Once he found his place, he put the microphone to his mouth. "All snipers, on my mark, open fire on all guards. Everyone else, get ready to move on in once we've taken out the guards; once you're in, we'll cover you…there can be no mistakes, so don't let a single tango out alive. Remember, we need to kill everyone in that meeting in order to demoralize all the yakuza families. Once they're demoralized, cleaning up Wutai will be easier. Now let's get this show on the road…snipers, pick your targets…" Vincent found his target, moving his sights on the head of a lone guard. Meanwhile, all other troopers had set plastic explosives on the entrance to each end of the temple. "Ready…aim…fire at will!" With that said, all the guards were killed silently with a bullet through the head._

"_All teams move on in! Go, go, go!"_

_He didn't need to repeat himself—the plastic explosives went off, and the soldiers moved on in, gunning down all yakuza soldiers while the snipers provided covering fire to pin down the yakuza bosses and their lieutenants while keeping the soldiers in cover as the WMPC moved on in to storm the main building of the temple, their assault rifles taking down anyone who stood in their way. With their elite training thanks to Vincent, the WMPC was able to dodge bullets even while wearing flak jackets, and once they made it to the meeting place of the yakuza bosses, all the leaders were taken down. Victory was to the WMPC, and now, the cleanup would begin as soon as they paid respects to those unfortunate officers who died in the action…_

_

* * *

_

Present day…

In that assault, twenty officers and nine captains were killed. Of the nine captains, those three survived and Vincent survived the attack—even today, he feels bad for the lives lost in that military action, but it was necessary to clean up Wutai, and so he worked hard for the next year and a half to ensure that their deaths were not in vain. He was right—once the WMPC had a better foothold against the crime families in Wutai it was easier due to how demoralized the rest of the yakuza were upon news of the dead bosses. Afterwards, the remaining yakuza filled the newly-built correctional facility in Wutai, teaching them the hard way that crime never pays—now, there is still crime in Wutai, but not as bad as it was when the gangs ruled the streets, and as it stands, the people are discouraged from terrorism due to "Operation: New Dawn".

With that, Vincent started writing in his will—he had to do this now, otherwise he may never have another chance. He opened the word processor on his computer, and began typing various words on the screen. Before he could type another word on his will, he heard knocking at the door to his office. "Come in."

The door opened to reveal the shiny head of none other than the Turk named Rudolf "Rude" Porter. "Wotcher mate! I was in town, and decided to come and pay you a visit. Were you busy Vincent?"

"As a matter of fact, I was."

Rude, Tseng, and Elena were all respectful of Vincent given that he was at one point their boss. Rude especially comes around to visit Vincent whenever he is in the area as the latter was his role model in the Turks. "So, may I ask what brings you over to my precinct Rude?"

Rude looked very put-out at the question. "Oi, can't a man visit 'is upperclassman without 'im askin' any bloody questions? Anyway, I 'eard a very interestin' rumor from Tseng."

Vincent let out a sigh…oh he knew who it was that spoke. "I suppose Reeve let it slip in front of him?"

"I'm tellin' ya mate, that bloke don' know the firs' thing abou' keepin' mum. Although the fact that 'e was researchin' like a bloody mad scientist didn't 'elp 'im any…Tseng threatened 'im to fess up after he let it slip. Anyway, 'ow's your condition guv?"

"I've taken my pills, so I should be fine for the next few hours or so. But in the meantime, I have roughly six months to live, and so I'm using this week to get my affairs in order…a last will and testament included."

Rude was silent for the next few minutes. "You mind if I have a butcher's at that will o' yours?"

"If you want to be witness to me signing the will, you may want to bring someone else over…otherwise, it will be invalid. Besides, you didn't miss anything—you caught me at the beginning of writing it."

"Tseng's already on 'is way 'ere, chum. When 'e 'eard abou' your condition, 'e threatened Reno that 'e won' be seein' 'is next paycheck if 'e didn' fly us over. Righ' now, he's talkin' to Elena over the phone, tellin' 'er that 'e's 'ere to see you. The bloke's gotta make sure 'is bes' man is gonna be alive for the weddin' in two days."

Vincent let out a small smile on his lips. "It makes me feel happy to know that I have such good friends Rude. And since I know your secret, I'm relieved that Yuffie and the baby will be well taken care of should I be gone."

Rude looked at Vincent with his eyes wide with surprise behind his sunglasses. "What are you talkin' about guv?"

"You think I haven't seen the way you've looked at Yuffie, Rude? I've known since the wedding that you've fallen for her. I've always known."

"Are you daft man? What kind of blighter do you think I am? I don' do that!"

Vincent looked at his underclassman with serious eyes. "Rude. Tell me the truth. How do you honestly feel about Yuffie?"

When Vincent said those three sentences, and looked at him seriously, Rude knew that there was no denying it anymore—that gaze was enough to break any sort of lie he could come up with. He sighed and hung his head in shame, unable to face his god. "I'm mad abou' 'er guv. I feel like whenever I see you with 'er and she's happy, it makes me wish I was there makin' 'er happy. She made it so that all my one-night stands after that day she married you were unsatisfyin' unless I pictured 'er in their place. I'm sorry mate, but I didn' mean to feel this way abou' your wife, but that's 'ow I feel."

He sighed…oh, Vincent knew what it was like—he felt it with Lucrecia once, and so he couldn't fault the man for falling hard for another man's wife. He reached up to Rude's shoulder. "It's okay Rude, it's okay. I understand. I just want to make sure that Yuffie and my daughter are in good hands when I leave this world. Although if you're seeking Yuffie's hand in marriage, you will have competition in the form of Reno."

Rude's head shot up in shock. "Reno? As in my bloke Reno?"

"Apparently, you were not the only one looking at Yuffie with sincere love in his eyes after the wedding. Apparently, I caught him looking at her the same way you do when you aren't looking and thinks I'm not either. If either of you win her hand in marriage, then I'll give you both my blessings…although you may want to send Reno a message from me."

"What is it?"

"Any man who abuses Yuffie or my daughter in any way will be dragged to the Lifestream and beaten senseless by yours truly."

"Any message for me?"

"No need. I already trust you not to do any of the aforementioned things; Reno on the other hand…"

"You've got a bloody good point."

"Now then…to get started on that will while Tseng is on his way here…"

* * *

_**A/N: Oh my lord…which captain will be promoted to the seat? And which man will win Yuffie's hand? I'm still open for names just so you know…so please, don't be afraid. Do keep it up with the suggestions would you kindly?**_

_**

* * *

**_

_**Songs Played:**_

"_**Face On" by Yoko Kanno and the Seatbelts—Operation: New Dawn**_

_**

* * *

**_

_**Vocabulary and Culture notes:**_

_**Hollow point—the bullet has a concaved tip so that when it goes into the target, the bullet practically explodes, and so this puts a bigger hole in the target while adding a good deal more stopping power than FMJ.**_

_**.50 BMG—this is a rather big bullet, and for good reason; it was originally designed to be used in the M2 Browning Machinegun that was famous for its use since World War I and II…nowadays, we still use the M2 Browning, but the ammo can also be used for a sniper rifle.**_

_**Oscar Mike—this is NATO alphabet for "On the Move".**_


	9. Weddings

_**A/N: We now have weddings…and two flashbacks…now that's a first…do read and review would you kindly? And also, I'm still taking suggestions for girl names, so feel free to add more suggestions would you kindly?

* * *

**_

Time until Vincent's life expires: 19 days, 5 months…

Today was Tseng and Elena's wedding—this was good timing for Yuffie as she would need a break from doing nothing but signing her name for the past few days. If anything, she would be the number-one expert in calligraphy with her name in kanji. She put down her brush pen and took a deep breath for herself as she mused upon the arrangement of the wedding. Vincent was chosen as best man due to the fact that Tseng's father Tsuan happened to be a good friend of his while he was growing up since his move from Wutai…and thus he was a family friend of the Hwang family. Rude however, managed to get ring-bearer duty…mostly because knowing Reno he would probably let it slip out of his mind as he went out on a drinking binge after the bachelor party, pawn Tseng's wedding band somewhere along the way to buy more lager and whiskey, and then wake up as a pain in the ass with a hangover. Besides, the other reason why Rude was not chosen as best man was because Elena wanted him to give her away in addition to being the ring-bearer…because being an orphan, Rude was the closest thing to a big brother the two of them would ever get; no, scratch that, there was no 'closest thing', because they were already his brother and sister by bond. Therefore, Rude was given the highest honor of being the bridesman.

Tseng and Elena approached Tifa a while back to ask her to cater the wedding on Yuffie's advice. The air of awkwardness between Turk and AVALANCHE member was tense; although on that day, Tifa managed to bury the hatchet with the Turks, and the planning for the party was underway—and it was done way in advance. The ceremony would be Western-style, as Tseng and Elena were both members of the same church that Aeris went to. The man who would be presiding over the wedding was Father Nikolai Warovski formerly of the Midgar Sector 7 Baptist Church. Now things were going her way…according to Vincent, he was almost done writing his will, and so by the time Rude comes to pick him up, he'll be done and all the things he wants to do postmortem on that piece of paper will be carried out. Now was a perfect opportunity for her to take a pause from all the paperwork she had to sign…and just in time too because Ichiro had arrived and escorted her to the limousine. As he drove her to the chapel, she'd might as well take a bite out of her chocolate-dipped pickles and then take nap on the road so that the baby can relax as well…

* * *

Flashback: Roughly 1.35 years ago…

_After the crime wave in Wutai had ended, Yuffie managed to get Reeve to help rebuild her homeland into a much more beautiful place. Many architects arrived and rebuilt shops, homes, many other projects, and with the invention of instant concrete, things got significantly easier. Tonight however, she would be getting a visit from the general of the military police himself, and he would be taking her to dinner…and then afterwards, she'll be having some hot, steamy, animal sex with him…oh yes, the animal sex. It's been so long, and now things would be so easy, and savoring the moment would be favorable at this time._

_She had just finished putting on her clothes and was ready to go out to dinner with him—he had just finished all the case reports in his precinct, and the streets remained criminal-free…although there was the occasional homeless person out and about, but still, nothing too serious on the surface, and with the military police patrolling the streets, nobody would even dare do something outright. Ever since she formed them up, things got even cleaner in Wutai as the citizens began to sleep much more peacefully; robberies went down, homicides were dealt with promptly, drug dealers were clamped down upon, and even terrorism was virtually nonexistent. Yuffie's reforms on the law made it so that there were less homeless people roaming about the land as her regime had created more jobs—if anything, she became the most-loved ruler out of all the Kisaragi…even several of the yakuza came to love and respect her so much that their funds were spent upon helping her to clean up their homeland and providing the military police with intelligence on any dissenters among them who would disturb the peace._

_Yuffie looked herself in the mirror…her dinner date was prepared and ready. She wore a blue silk qipao with embroidered flowers sewn into the body, and a pair of silk sleeves that one could tie on your arm. She wore black pantyhose over her leopard skin thong just as the qipao covered her bikini top of the same color and pattern. Hey, she said was ready for dinner, nobody said that she couldn't get ready to have sex afterwards—and besides, the mind-blowing sex was something she needs to get her mind off the stress of the many problems in the city. As she looked outside the window, she knew that Vincent was waiting…he was wearing a white dress shirt, black suspenders and indigo slacks with a leather holster containing the high stopping-power piece of law enforcement known only as Cerberus. He was leaning against a lamppost and waiting by the front gate…and letting something crawl around on his hand? Well, whatever it was that he was playing around with, she was more than curious as she began walking down the stairs of the palace, and found herself at the gates._

"_Whatcha got there Vinnie?" she asked, watching as he was stroking something in his palm before closing his hands together, and throwing them both forward and surprising Yuffie as she yelped upon finally realizing that he was petting a bat!_

"_What're you trying to do? Give me a heart attack? Where'd you find a bat anyway?"_

"_I don't know why, but all rodents seem to like me and so they tend to flock to me like bees to flowers."_

"_Rodents? As in…rats?"_

"_And mice, hamsters, bats, and guinea pigs…hence why Ms. Hannigan, Fluffy, and Momo have been sneaking around me in the shadows waiting for a free meal." It was then that Yuffie looked around, and found to her surprise, three of her cats hidden in the shadows like tigers in the grass. But when they noted that their mistress was around their walking vending machine and searching the shadows, they bolted away…they did not want to get into trouble by being caught outside the house—the penalty for such an action was no cat food for a week!_

"_So, where are we going for dinner?"_

"_I know of a kitchen that had survived for a while, even since I moved. I was hoping we'd go there, and then head for another place that I know of…hopefully what I have planned will pan out…given that it's been a while since I was last in Wutai and I never had much a chance to have a more thorough look."_

"_So, we now have our second date. I hope you'll save room for some dessert."_

"_I'll make mine a short one then."_

_With that, the couple walked down the street, not knowing that the two of them were being followed, and by one military police officer that decided to surprise her cousin with a visit…Sakura had noted that her commanding officer was holding hands with her cousin and empress the way a man would hold hands with his lover. It was no wonder that he rejected her advances…granted he was polite about it, and she was happy for her cousin, but still, she wanted to see for herself what her boss would have been like in had he accepted her declarations of love—in other words, she'll be seeing what sort of catch Yuffie had landed. She moved from lamppost to lamppost, taking care not to be seen, and then she saw them at their destination; it was Ocean Star Seafood. Oh she knew of that place—in the mornings, they served a rather good dim-sum, and their prize dish at those hours was their cha siu bao…however in the nighttime is when they actually get serious with their culinary skills in the art of tribal-style cuisine which had many meat-heavy dishes including fried squab, sakè-cooked crab, steamed frog legs in a mushroom-heavy gravy with carrots and green onions on rice, beaten egg whites garnished with broccoli and a side of red vinegar, and the cornerstone of their menu: beef slices, soy stalks, onions, and green peppers served in a gravy over ho fun._

_As she watched them enter the doors of the restaurant, she felt a sort of shiver crawling up her spine from jealousy as she watched the couple feed each other a rather good meal that had not diminished in quality even since its founding twenty years prior to her very first arrival in this world. A voice inside of her implored her to stay and continue spying—at least for her cousin's sake. At the same time, another voice in her head told Sakura to leave as this was none of her business…of course she listened to the earlier voice, and continued watching very carefully—she also kept an eye out on the date to make sure that her cousin was not being mistreated in any way._

"_Vince, how did you know about this restaurant anyway?" asked Yuffie picking up a piece of barbecued beef short rib with her chopsticks, "It's been around since I was a child," began Vincent, taking a sip out of his jasmine tea, "my mother would take me here when she had to deal with rather…unpleasant patients, especially when she had to subdue them herself for sexual harassment. Whenever the pressure was too much, she would bring me here for dinner to soothe her frazzled nerves, and their jasmine tea does just that. I suppose I brought us here in hopes that the food is as I remembered."_

"_I don't blame you…they really do go all out here! I swear the cooks here could have worked in the palace…I mean, I've been here for yum cha, but I've never had their food for dinner before."_

"_I actually believe that…I once heard rumor that the cooks in this restaurant are too good not to have served the imperial family…the reason being that they were at one point the royal cooks themselves."_

"_No, really?"_

"_I actually don't know if that's true…for all I know it could be."_

_It wouldn't be long before they paid their bill and left the restaurant…it was then that Sakura moved on out and followed them to a river, and watched them both sit down. "What are we doing here Vincent?" asked Yuffie, curiosity getting a foothold in her mind._

"_I am relieved…I was hoping that this river would be untouched still. Whenever I wanted to think, I always came here to relax on this day—especially under a full moon. Keep your eyes on the river; if I'm right on target, what we're waiting for should begin right about…now." As if on cue, a neon green speck began to fade into existence, followed by many other green specks as they began appearing in the blades of grass before dancing into the air like embers of a flame…it was so beautiful, despite the fact that this was a swarm of fireflies and thus creeping out Yuffie a little bit, she was too entranced by the view of this lightshow of nature to care about her disgust._

"_It's usually on this day that the fireflies here mate," began Vincent, "and while they fly around looking for another firefly to bond with, it becomes a very spectacular light show…this was one of my favorite sights even before I was first introduced to that view the fireworks show over at the Golden Saucer by my father. But among all the sights I have seen in this world, only one beats them all."_

_Yuffie turned her head to face Vincent as he turned his red eyes to hers. He then started to caress his right hand along her cheek. "That sight is of you."It was then that Vincent got up on one knee and reached into his pocket, pulled out a small black box, and opened it in front of Yuffie…it was a wedding ring with a ball-cut mastered materia (a lightning spell judging by how fast and strong the light within was pulsating), polished and set in a platinum band with inlaid emerald leaves and vines growing and curling around up until they surround the main stone._

"_Kisaragi Yuffie, will you marry me?"_

_The woman in question was surprised…she was looking to have hot animal sex with this man that she knew for almost four years now…she knew that everything had pointed to this moment—that he would be marrying her…for once in her life, she was speechless, and her response to that were tears of happiness, and wrapping her arms around his neck while she locked her lips with him. "Yes!"_

_Sakura turned and left as the couple started moving towards her, no doubt to head to the palace and announce the news to her uncle…she did not want to see this…although she would be happy for her cousin, she'll need to find someone else to fall for—someone to help her forget about Vincent until the day comes that they are reborn in another life that she would try her luck with him again…

* * *

_

Present…

Vincent awoke to the sound of the car door opening, and feeling hands under his armpits as Rude pulled his friend out of the passenger's seat and placed him in his wheelchair. "You all right guv?"

"I'm fine Rude. I think I can handle wheeling myself over to the seat now."

"You sure about this?"

"I'm sure…I wasn't just sitting around doing nothing for my condition…I have to get myself ready for that trip to Mt. Nibel. So the first thing that I've been training up for the past few days now is my arm strength. It'll be a while before I'll be ready, but it's best to train up."

As they started walking into the Cetra Church that was established in Wutai (or wheeled in Vincent's case), Rude turned to face his former boss. "Take it slowly then guv, your bird's gonna want you alive for a little bit longer."

"I am."

It was then that the Turk smiled ever so slightly as he opened the door for Vincent and followed him so that he was parked near the altar and Tseng—facing Yuffie. As soon as he was satisfied that Vincent was where he needed to be, he left to find Elena. Vincent looked at his friend's son, and noted that his hand was trembling…as far as he knew the man, Tseng was usually very certain. "Are you nervous?"

Tseng looked down at Vincent. "Beg your pardon?"

Normally, Vincent would have towered Tseng, but because he was seated in the wheelchair, the top of his head met the base of the younger man's neck. However, even in a seated position and looking up, those eyes of his that told everyone 'don't bother lying to me' did their work. Tseng sighed and looked away, breaking eye contact. "I am just apprehensive…what if I don't give her what she needs? What if…"

"Tseng, calm down. Let me ask you this; what do a marriage and a regular tactical mission require upon execution? Sure they all are different jobs and of course they have different rules, but what is it that they all have in common—or to make this clearer, what is it that they all need?"

"What?"

"Improvisation. Sure, you're going to argue, you're going to fight, but you're also going to laugh, and smile, and love. When you argue or fight, see it from her viewpoint, but make it clear from your viewpoint as well…and when both viewpoints are considered, you must find a way that benefits the both of you. Remember, improvisation is a key component in any aspect of life, and it's especially true in your case since you're marrying…remember this, and you'll have no problems in any future arguments you may have with Elena." The second that Vincent had finished, the organs played as the double doors into the chapel opened—Rude had Elena elbow to elbow as he escorted her to the altar with Father Warovski waiting with a bible in his hands.

As soon as she stopped at the altar, Vincent noted that she was a rather beautiful bride with a low-cut wedding dress and a veil making her seem much more angelic. In her hands was a bouquet of lilies that were of a color that brought out the color of her sapphire eyes. No mistaking it, Elena Mendez was looking beautiful on her wedding day…she deserved to be happy given that she witnessed the murder of her parents while she was growing up in Costa del Sol, and all the things she wished she could have prevented that she felt guilty about.

"Comrades and family," began Father Warovski, his heavy Mideelean accent echoing through the church, "we are gathered together on this day to celebrate the holy matrimony of Tseng and Elena. If there is anyone who has a reasonable doubt that these two lovers should not be together, speak now or forever hold your peace."

Upon hearing nothing, Father Warovski turned to face the groom. "Do you Tseng Hwang, take Elena Mendez to be your lawfully-wedded wife, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, till death do you part?"

"I do."

"And you, Elena Mendez, do you take Tseng Hwang to be your lawfully-wedded husband, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, till death do you part?"

"I do."

"Tseng, place your ring around her finger as a symbol of your bond everlasting." With that said, Rude pulled the black box out of his pocket, and brought it to his friend's hand. Tseng opened it, and gently placed a ring with a crimson ruby set in it around Elena's finger. "And Elena, place your ring around his finger as a sign of your immortal love." Rude pulled out a second box from his pocket, and Elena produced a white diamond ring from the box before placing it delicately around Tseng's Finger.

"By the powers vested in me by the city of Wutai, and with the gods and the empress herself as my witnesses, I hereby declare you, man and wife. You may kiss the bride." Tseng lifted the veil, and kissed Elena with passion behind it. The witnesses of the wedding cheered as the organs played as the united couple broke the kiss and walked out towards the double doors. Rude was smiling widely. "All right then, let's get these two to the jam jar eh?"

Vincent watched from afar with a smile on his face as Tseng and Elena stepped out the door, and all the women in attendance hopped up as the latter threw the bouquet…he was not surprised to see Yuffie catching the bouquet in the excitement…oh he remembered the time when Tifa and Cloud got married a few months before her coronation that she caught the bouquet too. It wasn't until their wedding that it would be Tifa that caught the bouquet. As he followed the couple with Yuffie at his side, he recalled the party after the wedding…ah, those were the days, when he was still strong enough to walk. The wedding party itself was a joyous event…although Vincent didn't participate in the drinking game this time due to his medications he would have plenty of time to do so when he finds the best bottle of wine in the world. One of the funniest things he saw was Reno walking up to Tseng and threatening his family jewels to keep him from breaking Elena's heart—which was responded to by Rude silently whispering to him that even though his thoughts were much-appreciated, Tseng could still fire him and request that Rufus freeze all his accounts. After that, Reno turned red realizing that he was threatening his boss, and his boss was threatening to go to his boss to make sure he's fired, and fired well. Vincent sat near the bed with Yuffie looking at him with her belly on the bed.

"What are you thinking about Vinnie?"

"I was considering giving you a massage…my legs aren't strong enough to take charge yet, but that doesn't mean I can't pleasure you in one form or another. So now that that's settled, would you please give me one of those beautiful legs of yours so that I may begin with the foreplay my love?"

She widened her smile, and did as she was told. Yuffie gave Vincent her left leg, and he began to work his magic hands starting with her calf muscles, gripping firmly by the ankle, and then moving his hands up and down the leg before adding pressure on her foot, and running his fingers through her toes. He was right…he may not be strong enough to add more force to the act of lovemaking for her, but at least he could pleasure her like this with the strength he had regained in his arms for now. It was then that she closed her eyes, and imagined the hottest sex of her life as Vincent rubbed his hands up and down, sending electrical signals of pleasure up her spine and warming up her nether regions—their wedding night…

* * *

Flashback, roughly 1 year ago…

_Yuffie and Vincent had walked down the hallway to the restaurant that they were meeting everyone else at. Upon opening the doors, champagne bottles were uncorked, and everyone was celebrating…Tifa brought the bottles from a secret stash that her father had hidden under Midgar—thankfully, after the Meteor Incident, those bottles were relatively untouched as they were hidden in a secret compartment under the floorboards of AVALANCHE's meeting place. In addition to the other drinks that she bought for the party, Tifa also brought along a stash her father kept which included six bottles of 1940-45 Chateau Delacroix chardonnay from Kalm, two bottles of 1950 Francois Heller cabernet sauvignon from Edge, three bottles of 1963 Eduardo Rodriguez sherry from Costa del Sol, and a bottle of 1936 Chateau Renoir merlot from Midgar that is rare today. There was indeed much to celebrate, and for good reason…because Shera had recently given birth to young Blake Highwind, and so this wedding was also to celebrate the arrival of a new life in this world._

_The party lasted for hours—oh the fun everybody had…Cid and Barrett's drinking game with Vincent, the dancing, the food, and it even accommodated the kids as Denzel and Marlene were both given apple cider in place of alcohol, and because the entire WRO was in attendance, there were quite a few parents that brought their kids to the wedding. Yes, it was a very fun scene indeed…and Yuffie had to haul her husband to the wedding suite which was in the newly-converted Hotel Shibuya. At first, it only catered to tourists, but because the economy had gone up, now the hotel accommodates native Wutainese guests as well._

_Yuffie made a stop at the guest counter. The receptionist was surprised at what she saw—the empress of Wutai in a wedding kimono, and obviously, the man in the same outfit only for men and with a hakama passed out on the guest chairs was her husband. "Hi, I'm here about the reservations made for tonight under 'Yamada'?" The receptionist could not blame her…she was not stupid, but still, she had the effing empress in her hotel, and it would seem that 'Yamada' was a cover name to keep from having the press disturbing their privacy. She had no choice but to play along. "Of course Mrs. Yamada, it would be an honor serving you tonight!"_

"_Thanks…now if you would be so kind as to help me out, my husband is knocked out over there from a drinking contest, and because of his height, it's really hard to move him around, so I'd appreciate it if you helped me drag him to our suite."_

"_Sure thing your—I mean, ma'am."With that, the receptionist took out the key to wedding suite 217 before the two of them hauled Vincent towards the elevator with grunts of difficulty. The receptionist got one look at his face, and Yuffie noticed two things mixed in her gaze: she was afraid as she recognized the commander in chief of the military police, and at the same time, after seeing Vincent up close, her face had turned a deeper shade of crimson as she was very near getting turned on as she saw her picturing Vincent in very dirty scenes. That shade of crimson flushed into white the second she caught Yuffie glaring at her…okay, so the commander of the military police was off-limits._

_Within five minutes, the receptionist had opened the door, and quickly helped Yuffie to gently set Vincent on the bed before she darted out into the hallway to avoid the wrath of an angry empress. She found it rather funny as she looked back at Vincent…watching as his chest rose and fell in his inebriated slumber. "Did I win?"_

_Yuffie was surprised when he spoke…he drank so much that it actually knocked out Cid and Barrett. "Umm…yeah…you did." She then watched as he swaggered his way up before sauntering his way over to her general direction before bending over forward right in front of her. After taking one cautious step towards her husband, Vincent suddenly sprung up and kissed his wife in the lips with a bit of a smile before he broke the kiss. "Vinnie, are you okay?"_

"_Oh, I'm fine Yuffie…Cid and Barrett are both powerhouses when it comes to the drinking game, but in terms of alcohol tolerance, the only person to match me at this game is Tifa. It was however a rather difficult contest as we were playing with the rich corn-based goodness that is 1955 Alex Redford whiskey from Edge."_

"_And you've been playing drunk this entire time? How is it even possible?"_

"_My father started slipping me trace amounts of whiskey and vodka in my tea a few weeks after I moved in with him…he gradually increased the concentration of alcohol to tea as the months went by. Now I have a high tolerance for alcohol, and am a connoisseur for liquor."_

_Her voice was teasing now. "That's cool…although I'm still not going to forgive you for making me drag your ass up here."_

_He feigned worry. "Oh dear…I'm in trouble…is there any way I can make it up to the lady of my life?"_

_She placed both hands on the lapels of his black kimono and pulled him in…oh he recognized that look in her eyes all right. "You…me…on the bed now. If you service me proper, I'll consider forgiving you."_

_The married couple wasted no time…they grabbed each other in a passionate embrace and locked their lips with a fire that would have welded them together. As they devoured each other's mouths, and savoring the taste of each other, they both moved their hands downwards gently until they found the straps to their kimono. Agile fingers untied the obi from behind Vincent's back, while Yuffie's thick red obi was untied by Vincent's pianist's digits before he slid his hands up to her shoulders and gently started prying the kimono off his wife so that her bust was exposed and rubbing on his well-chiseled pectoral and abdominal muscles while slipping her tongue into his mouth, and beginning a very hot dance with it, getting the faint bitter goodness of the whiskey as his hakama dropped to the floor. _

_As their bodies pressed closer together, Yuffie noted that her husband was getting hard…oh he was ready. Her first move after breaking their embrace was to wave her hips in front of him, as she pulled him down and onto the bed with her as she let him fall upon her_. _However, Vincent broke the kiss with Yuffie abruptly, much to the woman's chagrin as he took off his kimono and went to the restroom looking for something. Her face was creased into a frown for a moment, but that was until she noted that Vincent left the restroom apparently with what it was that he was looking for held in his right hand: a bottle of edible and scented oil. "You didn't think I was going to enter without making you happy first did you?"_

"_No, I suppose not…it's just that I never thought that you would think of such a thing…you're too polite and proper for that."_

_It was then that Vincent snapped the bottle open, and poured some oil on his left hand. As he rubbed his hands, Yuffie took her entire kimono off, and lay down on the bed on her stomach. "My time in the Turks taught many things in the art of lovemaking…you could say it was practice for the day that I would finally meet the one whom I would totally and utterly fall in love with. I wanted the woman that I was going to spend the rest of my life with to enjoy a man that would please her in every sense of the word with every technique I could learn. This however, was the last technique I learned—which was ironically easy for being one of the most difficult techniques there are."_

"_How come?"_

_Yuffie never got a chance to answer verbally—her train of thought was interrupted, and all she felt was bliss as she let out a moan of pleasure while Vincent's oil-soaked hands slid up and down the small of her back in a torturously gentle motion with a firm amount of pressure being applied. The next thing that felt his touch were her shoulders while the bliss she felt with each rub translating into a higher temperature in her body. "Let's just say that my mother originally had a much different idea for how I could have been using my hands."_

"_She wanted you to take up her medical practice?"_

"_Or take up music…I considered taking up the medical practice as a career, it's just that I just felt that it would have been a good way to honor her and that would guarantee me a future at the time. But I much preferred the path of the musician better, so my first lesson from her was massage. Move your arms up would you please?"_

_Yuffie did as she was told, and sure enough, Vincent's massage went to her sides before his arms got started on her arm and rubbing through her fingers before moving his massage to the other arm in the same manner. His next target was to slide his hands back down the small of back, and then reaching her strong buttocks and rubbing them both in an inwards-moving circular direction causing her to breathe out her pleasure with each rotation before he resumed moving his hands up and down her buttocks, and started to massage her thigh, before going down to her calf and then running his fingers in between her toes, causing her breathing to accelerate. Before long, he started to rinse, wash, and repeat the process onto her other leg before moving his hands towards the front of her chest and grab her by her bust line and beginning his foreplay by pulling her up and kissing her neck before moving his lips to devour her mouth as she turned her head to give him an easier time with kissing her. As he continued the massage by rubbing her breasts in opposite directions, Yuffie began moaning in Vincent's mouth and rubbing her entire back up and down such that her ass was stroking his raging hard manhood in synch with his motions before he took his left hand, and started moving it downwards in between her breasts, and started massaging her abdominal muscles before realizing that his hand had run out of oil…his next move was to get his left hand down to her clitoris, and begin rubbing it in a saw-like motion, causing Yuffie to move her body faster and faster until she came and his length had hardened even more._

_As he took his fingers away from her clit, Vincent knew that he now had his lubricant for massaging her body even more. His next move was to slide his left hand back up her abdominals before moving it downwards. It was too much, and so Yuffie grabbed his left hand in her own, and pulled his head in closer to whisper in his ear. "Stop stalling already, and come on in."_

_It was then that Vincent made a move on Yuffie's neck as he kissed on that spot briefly before turning around and facing her. As he sat on his knees, Yuffie immediately knew that he was getting serious as he was positioned in between her thighs while one hand was grabbing onto one of her breasts while the other guided his member in to penetrate her nether-lips and continuing to kiss her in the neck as he continued to massage her in that area. As he started giving her a hickey, Yuffie could only respond by locking his head to her neck with her grease-covered arms. One third of her moaning came from the hickey, another came from the massage on her breast, and the last one came from Vincent pumping in and out of her gently. As he continued his ministrations, Yuffie began to lock her legs around his hips the second he started moving faster. It wouldn't be long…she was very close…and so was he…Vincent's manhood let out a spasm, and her timing was perfect enough to squeeze her cunt down on it as he fired his seed into her, both partners in the act letting out a pleasured grunt along with their waves of ecstasy._

_The pleasure was too much—both were weakened for but a moment before Yuffie flipped herself over, and got on her hands and knees and showing her fine ass to her husband. Oh he knew what she wanted now. He got up onto his knees, wrapped his arms around her waist, and bent forward such that his lips were near her ear. "How do you want me to take you?"_

_The words blowing past her ears sent a feeling of electricity running down her back and increased her feelings of pleasure—making her hotter and wetter, and him breathing on her ear was also getting her excited again. Before she could answer, she felt something rubbing below her…oh no he's not! He wouldn't be so cruel as to torture her with a dry-hump would he? But her thoughts that he was too prude to do such a torturous act died a horrible death as she felt him pumping in between her legs and against her clit. Her panting from the ecstasy was preventing her from answering properly as the pleasure made her so high she was practically stuttering. "I…I…I want…"_

"_Yes?"_

"_I want you to…to fuck me…"_

"_Be more specific…"_

_Oh it was too much now; her natural opiates were driving her mad now, and as his cock rubbed on her clit, it made things even harder…especially with the slow speed at which he was moving…oh those gentle movements were really torturing her. She had no choice but to let it out the animal hidden inside of her—she was just too hot! Her animalistic voice had increased his hardness. "I WANT YOU TO FUCK ME LIKE A DOG…LIKE A BITCH IN HEAT! PLEASE! GIVE IT TO ME NOW! SHOVE IT INTO MY…Ah!" Before she could continue to let out her pleas for more, he slammed into her…hard! Like her request, the second entry into her was fast, it was hard, and it was very hot! The speed of his pumping had started off with slow but heavy motions, but gradually, they moved to the speed that would make them look like dogs in heat. _

"_YUFFIE!"_

"_VINCENT!"_

_Before long, she clamped around his member, and he let out another jet of seed into her. The two of them collapsed upon the bed, Vincent grabbing his wife's breasts from behind, and snuggling closer to her…now that they are lawfully married, they would no longer need to hide their sex life from the public. They were very close to starting a scandal when Sakura almost caught them having sex on his desk shortly after the precincts were opened up—thankfully, they dressed up quickly before she could even suspect a thing. Now that they are married, it won't be as exciting to have their secret meetings for making hot and steamy animal love, but it makes things much easier on Yuffie to know that the public believes she's not having sex out of wedlock. And with that thought on mind, the two lovers fell asleep.

* * *

_

Present…

It was almost half an hour now since Vincent started his massage on Yuffie…she had dragged him back out of the chair to seat him on the bed while he continued pleasuring her with his hands on her back, before he got even dirtier and started massaging her breasts. Oh he felt her body heat, and truth be told, he was wondering when she would turn around, throw him onto the bed, unbutton his shirt, and then smothering his mouth with a hot kiss and rubbing her bra-covered breasts against his chest as she danced with his tongue.

Her next move after breaking the kiss was to unzip his pants, and pull his boxers off with her teeth, and running her tongue up and down his member until it hardened. She was ready now. She got up, and impaled herself on his length…letting out a moan as she reached his hips. Yuffie's coffee colors met with Vincent's rubies, as their eyes locked together in ecstasy before she started pumping up and down—he had pleasured her enough for the moment, now was her turn to pleasure him as she moved up and down slowly, panting ever so slowly before she quickened her pace. As she felt him getting hotter, she realized that her body was getting covered in her own sweat—oh they were close! She started letting out light grunts of pleasure before she tightened her passage and felt him spray her insides like he has always done for her.

Yuffie's pleasure had caused her to become tired as she started letting herself fall down slowly as she embraced Vincent once again and closed her eyes to allow sleep to claim her. As he encircled his arms around her in return, Vincent noted a small tear in her eyes…he's going to miss this too…

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_**A/N: I don't know why, but for some reason, I think of Mideel as the Russia of FF7. And yes, I know, it's another filler chapter, but at least I tried to add some lemon scenes as a means of compensation.

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_**Songs Played:**_

"_**Her Most Beautiful Smile" by Asakura Noriyuki—Vincent proposes**_

_**"After the Game of Love" by NPD3-Yuffie's wedding night**_

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_**Vocabulary and Culture notes:**_

_**Qipao—this is a Chinese ladies' dress from a Manchurian design…it is known for usually having short sleeves or no sleeves at all, and has a small collar that goes up the neck and is tied by a cloth clasp.**_

_**Dim-sum—this is the food served in Chinese Yum Cha (it started the traditions of the Japanese Tea Ceremony and the British Afternoon Tea). A lot of the stuff served here include various dumplings, pieces of meat and seafood, and also pastries…yeah, lots of goodies for you to eat.**_

_**Cha siu bao—this is a common dish in dim-sum; it's a steamed bun wrapped around chopped up pieces of barbecued pork.**_

_**Dan-taat—this is a pastry inspired by egg custard; you pour the custard onto a buttery crust and eat this sweet and tasty bit of food like you would a cookie…this is also a common dish in dim-sum.**_

_**Ho fun—this is a wide and white sort of rice noodle.**_

_**Jam jar—Cockney for 'car'.**_


	10. Rite of Passage

_**A/N: Now we're getting started on the list! And there's going to be tons of fighting here…Do read and review would you kindly? And also, I'm still taking suggestions for girl names, so feel free to add more suggestions would you kindly?**_

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Time until Vincent's life expires: 17 days, 5 months…

Vincent looked out the window at the trees as they passed by from his seat in the car. Yuffie sat next to him with sleep ruling over her. It was done! Finally, all their paperwork was done, and so now they can get started on their bucket lists. Vincent's will was ready, and Yuffie checked on the baby. Now they were going to do something on Vincent's list to mark their stay…they were going to find Vincent's old home, hopefully it remained right where it was. Their first destination would be taking them to Old Wutai—it would be in this district where many of the older generation would stay: grandparents would be visited by their children, and traditionalists would practice the old traditions to their heart's content despite the law that they could practice all they like as long as it didn't go too far.

"What do you think we should name the baby?"

As she murmured that sentence, Vincent began to wonder…what sort of name should he be giving to their soon-to-come daughter? Of course he had several ideas, but at the same time he was curious. "I have a few names on mind, but I'd like to hear your ideas first."

"I say Michiko, after my mother."

"True, but my father had always wanted a daughter named Alexandra or Emmiliene."

"Good choice Mr. Valentine, but what about Victoria?"

"No…I never really agreed with that name, thank Leviathan that my father never even considered that name, and for not making me a girl…otherwise, you would be married to Victoria Valentine. How about Nozomi?"

"You're naming our baby girl 'hope'?"

"What have we other than hope that she becomes a very healthy little girl?" It was then that Vincent put his head near the bulge in Yuffie's stomach. "What hope do we have indeed? Your mother hopes you'll be like her. I just hope that you grow up to be a happy and beautiful little girl…my girl. And although I won't be there for you, you can always hope that I'm watching you from beyond and showing my love for the two of you." Yuffie smiled briefly…it was reassuring to both her and their pretty little girl. It was then that she fell asleep holding Vincent's head to her belly…

* * *

Flashback, roughly 1.85 years ago…

_Yuffie had finally reached the top of the pagoda panting as she walked away from the steps. The entire room was large, enough to accommodate something of a small battle…this was the moment that she had been waiting for. Her ascendance to the throne was nigh—the future of Wutai depended on her taking power and implementing the changes and reforms that she would be able to put into practice. Nobody was going to stop her…and Vincent stood by to watch over her and pay witness to the upcoming battle._

_Godo was sitting near the balcony of the top tier of the pagoda. He was watching the view of the empire that his ancestors had forged from his perch—his eyes were focused upon the city and empire of Wutai. "So many years of our rule, and the people had always supported our family to lead them through thick and through thin. We've come a long way from our origins within the independent tribes even coming to blows with them once in a while…and now it seems time for change to start once again."_

"_Dad, are you sure about this?"_

_Godo did not even turn to face his daughter, but everyone in the room could tell that he was very apprehensive about the situation. "Yes, I am sure. The only way for you to take the throne by law is to defeat me in combat. If you don't defeat me, then there's no coming back—had you come sooner, you would have plenty of opportunity to try again, but now that you're at your age now, this is a one-shot deal. If you fail, then you are no longer able to take the crown as you would be exiled and then your next-eldest cousin will be trained to take this up. Are you prepared to lose everything for your beliefs Yuffie?"_

_She looked back into the past…Wutai had become a mockery of its former self. The natives of the once-glorious city were cowed to the whims of foreigners…the economy was dependent on tourism to survive after Shin-Ra confiscated all their materia and sapped their land of mako. Yuffie had seen the many people of her home dressed in rags and being malnourished. Casinos and brothels had run rampant, and the yakuza ruled the streets with an iron fist—though a good number of them loved the royal family too much to lay a finger on them, the others became gangsters only for the profits. Wutai was crying to her daughter for help—she was counting on Yuffie to do something…she was counting on her to clean up her streets of crime and corruption…and most of all, she was counting on her to bring her people to a brighter future. And most of all, she saw the look of despair in the other guardians of the pagoda before she faced each one…and the look of hope washing over them when she defeated them._

_Once she had glanced back into the past, once she had seen why she had to take power, there was no longer any hesitation in Yuffie's eyes—she was resolute in what she had to do…Vincent stood by and watched as Yuffie faced her father eye-to-eye while tightening her grip around Conformer. "I'm ready."_

_It was then that Godo bent over to reach in front of him; and from then on, Vincent knew what it was that his old friend had picked up. In one hand, he carried a shakujo with a solid steel shaft and in the other was an ornate katana…this would be a difficult fight indeed—from what he had heard, Godo's tutelage under the yamabushi of Mt. Da Chao had taught him many things which included a mastery in martial arts in addition to philosophy and politics, and it showed itself in how Godo approached the battle: he charged in at the speed of lightning, starting the battle by slamming the ring-laden tip of his shakujo at Yuffie who dodged the thrust and ducked under the inward swing of the katana and jumping over the second outward slash and side-stepping the downwards slam of the shakujo._

_Yuffie countered by swinging Conformer downwards in an attempt to smash Godo under the ring before she pulled the shuriken out of the wooden floor and dodge a outwards cross slash and countering with a straight kick to his face and using his body as a springboard to jump backward while throwing the shuriken at his head. Conformer missed its target, but Yuffie's skill with the massive shuriken guaranteed that it rebounded back and into her hand the second that Godo rolled backwards—as soon as he regained his ground, Godo smirked as he clapped his hands together, and allowed a golden aura to surround him and a bright flash filled the room before revealing what it was in the light: Godo had become the three-faced avatar of Da Chao. His six arms were poised and ready to attack with a sword in each hand. Yuffie blocked the first attack with Conformer, and then found herself working extra hard to dodge each subsequent slash. When dealing with a master swordsman like Godo when he is transformed into the avatar of Da Chao, it is an extremely difficult fight as every movement of an asura is like a dance, and the three faces give a complete 360-degree view all around._

_The first move was to jump back even further, from Godo, granting even more distance, and then charging in while dragging Conformer along the ground before jumping into the air for a flying uppercut and successfully knocking away two of the six scimitars in Godo's hands—with that done, the "Greased Lightning" attack was finished only for Yuffie to have to shift her weight mid-air to barely dodge a sideways swing from one of Godo's swords shortly after he dodged the attack, and then rolling away as he brought two of his scimitars up and brought them both down to stab her with an underhanded grip the second she landed and then pulling out both swords from the ground to twirl in the air like a top and successfully cutting her three times. It was fortunate that Yuffie had managed to get into a cartwheel just in time, otherwise she would have ended up chopped into four pieces like that log she used to substitute for herself. With that, she meditated, and focused her inner power towards healing herself using "Clear Tranquil", reducing the flesh wounds on her abdominal muscles to mere scratches on her skin. As she caught her breath, she noted that Godo's six arms were flailing around gracefully as if to prepare for the next few steps while he stood there balancing on the ball of his foot…it would appear that mass area effect damage may be needed…with that, she jumped into the air, and landed on the ground, performing the attack known as Landscraper, causing the ground to shake while a miniature earthquake shook the entire tier of the pagoda—but the avatar of Da Chao was not to be discouraged by the imbalance caused by a quake; he slowly and gently twirled around with the grace of a ballerina on each foot, never losing a second of balance as he danced his way around the earthquake, and finishing off by making three cross-slashes at Yuffie in an attempt to slice her into pieces—that was before she jumped backwards and countered by throwing an exploding Gauntlet bomb in mid-air._

_The second she landed, Yuffie paused to inspect the results of her attack…surely that should have been enough to do the job, but once the smoke cleared up, she saw the remains of her bomb, on the ground, with hardly a dent on Godo…damn! Before she could react, Godo charged on in and stabbed all six of his swords into a wooden dummy…that was close! Too close! As Yuffie looked on at her opponent, she began to ask herself 'What am I doing wrong?' It was then that she noted in between her tired breaths that of the attacks she used against Godo so far, the only attack that he even bothered blocking was Greased Lightning, while it was no effort at all to dance his way around Landscraper and be able to take Gauntlet. She smiled as she realized that she had an edge after all! With that, she charged her opponent, and performed Bloodfest…Godo had very little trouble to block each strike before Yuffie finally landed an extremely heavy hit that caused him to stagger, and then she followed through with another heavy swing that actually knocked him back, and opened up a cut on his chest._

_Yuffie could not help but smirk in her moment of victory. "You may be the avatar of the great Da Chao, but even you can't seem to keep up with speed now can you?" Her sense of smug satisfaction didn't last long as she saw that all three of Godo's faces had smiled…something was wrong. By the time she realized it, it was too late; she felt six swords penetrate her skin. The six blades all dug themselves into a subclavian artery, a jugular vein, a lung, her heart, a kidney, and her stomach at the same time—her last view was an image of Godo fading away, and becoming a log…_

_

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Present Day…

Yuffie woke up with a start when she heard the car stop. "My lady and General, we have arrived at Old Wutai." Now would be the time that they would begin the search for Vincent's old home…since they're going to get started on the list, they may as well pay respects to his mother first. Ichigo opened the door, and allowed both the husband and wife to come out of the car—taking care to get Vincent into his wheelchair before anything else.

"I'll be waiting for the two of you here."

"Thank-you Ichigo." With that, Yuffie began to wheel her husband throughout the town. The architecture throughout that part of the city was mostly traditional buildings that have been untouched by the hand of time. Some of the buildings had fading paint though, but that was the beauty of the old style Wutainese buildings—with them, you were able to look into the past and see what the architects of old did to make them successful…such was the art of architecture. As they walked through the streets of Old Wutai, many of the citizens bowed their heads down in respect for the empress as she wheeled Vincent around.

"Which way Vince?"

"Let's head for Ocean Star. I think I'll have a better reference point as we get closer."

The two of them made their way to the restaurant. It's been a good half-hour walk, but at least they got there. On the way, it would appear that Vincent's sense of nostalgia had come—oh he remembered several of the buildings. He remembered "Chu's Noodle House", and a particular building that caught his eye: "Byakko Shinryoujou". It was from there that Vincent asked for Yuffie to stop.

"I remember this place well," he said as he turned to face the building. It was old and shabby, and apparently, there were a line of people waiting as well—apparently it was still treating patients with Traditional Wutainese Medicine. "This place is where everything started…this is where the rivalry of Li Xiao Long Nu and Zangan Gorobei began…actually, I am probably the closest witness to their rivalry, if it was in fact a rivalry at all."

It came as no surprise to Yuffie that Vincent knew of this—everyone in Wutai knew of the rivalry between the two martial artists. Zangan Gorobei, father of Tifa's master Zangan Mitchell, headed the Wutainese "Four Emperors" at one point…prior to that, they were known as the "Three Kings of Martial Arts", and after the day that Vincent spoke of, they unofficially became the "Four Emperors" in the eyes of the public.

"It was on a bright and sunny day like this. My mother had received a complaint in the clinic from the Three Kings a few days prior that she needed to go through a martial arts trial with the 'Three Kings' testing her in front of a board of five elders and earning a certificate to be teaching martial arts. It was a great battle—the best fight I've ever seen my mother take part in yet.

"The fight was set up in this particular clinic while Zangan had no patients to treat. He took out a large round table he normally reserved for guests, and set it up dead-center in the middle of the dojo—and surrounded it with stools turned upside-down and placed in such a manner that their legs were all in an equal distance away from each other. She leapt onto the table gracefully and waited for her opponents…her first victim underestimated her for being a woman—a mistake that Manten Hiroyasu would never forget as she danced around all his attacks and countered by attacking all his acupuncture meridians…she never took a single hit while Manten's Iron Shirt training was penetrated as she found all the chinks in his armor: she timed all her attacks with his and targeted the acupuncture meridians located in his joints while he was in the middle of an attack. Her next opponent was Suigetsu Ueda—he took what he learned from Manten's battle, and put up a slightly better fight but even he was out-danced by my mother. And then came the ultimate fight…Zangan Gorobei and Li Xiao Long Nu. Their battle was by far the longest fight I've ever seen, and certainly the greatest…Zangan was the strongest and most well-balanced of the three masters, but what set him apart from them was that he was the eldest—he was not as strong as he was in his prime, that I could tell, but what he lacked in brute strength then, he more than compensated for with his newly-found strength in fighting smart. The match ended half an hour later, winding up with a destroyed table, and both of them fighting on legs of the stools—I'll never forget the way it ended: the two of them were panting for breath, and that was the first time I ever saw my mother sweat in martial arts, and both knew that their stamina would not last. And so they both leaped at each other with tremendous force, blocking and countering each other until Zangan finally managed to catch my mother in a single-handed chokehold, while she threatened a point on his throat that would have paralyzed his entire body, thus ending the match in a draw.

"After the match, the certificate was written up, but my mother refused it—saying that the martial arts were simply a way of meditation and communication, and that one should not require a certificate to be teaching. And so the rivalry began, between the students of my mother's and that of Zangan's dojo…it took the police to break it up when it threatened to break into a riot. I was there when my mother went to see Zangan about the rude and disrespectful conduct of his students, and how many of the younger students kept harassing me with rocks from afar, and calling me various names I shall not repeat. I suppose that that was the last straw because on that day, he questioned his students about the validity of my mother's claims and threatened that physical trauma would be the least of their worries should such conduct continue, as he had threatened them all with expulsion from the dojo."

Yuffie grew up on tales of the Martial Forest—she knew what it meant to be expelled from the dojo. In normal society, expulsion from school is never a good thing to have on your record but at least you can keep it private and save yourself at least a little bit of dignity; in the Martial Forest it is a fate worse than death as the news of your expulsion from any dojo flies immediately to the top of the rumor mill faster than a gold chocobo on a coffee rush with an extra dose of sugar and hyped up on too many shots of epinephrine, and the poor fools that get expelled are treated as a worse outcast than the bastard child of a well-known whore (thankfully the rest of their family is spared). "Since then, the only things I've ever received were glares from Zangan's students—Manten and Suigetsu's respective students, were a rocky relationship at best. I didn't meet Zangan Mitchell until him and his father met my mother while she was supervising her students outside. As the two of us drilled near the other students, I saw something of a rapport between them—at first, I thought they were just becoming nice to each other, but Zangan and his son visited us often, and we them, and I believed that they were good friends and rivals and nothing more. I never realized the true extent of their relationship until my mother died, when Gorobei attended her funeral and cried tears not reserved for a friend, but for a lover. When I moved, I never saw Mitchell again until he transferred to Mideel High as a sophomore when Zangan Gorobei died nearly five years later—after that, everything is history."

"And history it is," said a voice from behind them "it seems that we've all made history in one aspect or another since we last met." Yuffie wheeled around and the two of them were face-to-face with a man with white hairs of old age on his head and beard.

"Mitch, it's been long."

"Likewise Vince."

As Yuffie listened in, she realized that the tone they were using was the sort that would be reserved between old friends.

"So, Vincent, what are you doing here in our homeland?"

"Looking for my mother's clinic, yourself?"

"I'm mostly here to see if there's any new recruits I can find in the clinic. How've you been since your hospitalization?"

"Tifa told you?"

"We keep in contact."

"I'm still coughing now and again, but after I take my medicine, the damage to my lungs is reduced."

"I can't believe it…I finally get a chance to meet you again, and you're dying. It's just not fair."

"Life never is my friend. Although it was good to see you again…right now, I'm heading to my old home."

"Well then I may as well travel with you…it's been a while since I last visited my father's grave anyway, and so maybe it's time to pay him a visit."

The three people moved from that point towards their destination; Vincent knew that if they had come across the "Byakko Shinryoujou", then his mother's clinic is directly east of here…

* * *

Flashback, roughly 1.85 years ago…

_This was the end of the line…she was going to die…she felt a sort of electricity going up to her brain as it became harder to breathe—no doubt it was the blood loss from getting stabbed in six kill zones doing this to her. Her vision began to blur—and then she started seeing white…and feeling herself falling. As she lingered, she saw a pair of the prettiest green eyes she'd ever laid eyes on—she knew only one person with eyes like that, but this was not her._

"_Don't give up Yuffie."_

_As she inspected the appearance of this stranger in her mind, she could not help but wonder where she met this woman before. She looked like a woman in her mid-twenties or thirties, and wore a kimono with feather-like patterns and a tiara around her head holding up her silky midnight black hair and on her back was a pair of large fire-colored bird's wings that were spread out into the air. Everything about this woman screamed both 'queen' and 'fire' as her makeup was such that it befitted a Wutainese empress of her status while her clothes gave the idea of things burning up. "Don't give up. There is too much at stake for you to die now…too many lives depend on you taking the crown. And most of all, Vincent is hoping that you'd get out of this alive—he's hoping that you'll return to his arms again. Don't leave him!"_

_It was from that moment that she was reminded why she needed to stay alive…why she needed to take the throne…because most of Yuffie's other cousins either refused the throne or were dead, the next in line would be the Tsunayoshi family. They were a decadent bunch who cared nothing about the state of Wutai—if they took power, then there would be much suffering inflicted upon the pride and economy of the people. The Tsunayoshi family were practically sell-outs…they'd sell their grandmothers off for a measly 10 gil if it came to that—they were even cheaper than the Kisaragi. The reason they were next in line was because all twelve of the major families within the city were related to the original Kisaragi, and because the Tsunayoshi were the second-oldest family, they would inherit the empire. Next would be the Manten, followed by the Suigetsu, and so on and so forth. If she had to lose now, it would be better if the others were next in line as the Tsunayoshi are currently the bad eggs of the family…but now was not the time to die—Yuffie had a mission, and come hell or high water, she was determined to get it done._

_Before she could think anymore on the matter, she felt something race through her body. It jolted her out of her vision and she awoke with the six swords of Da Chao being pulled out of her and feeling a kick to her back that flung her across the room and landing on the floor. Weakened, she started to rise as a white light engulfed her entire being. When the light cleared out, in Yuffie's place stood a being that could only be described as an angel of fire with her characteristics: Her torso was covered in a slightly revealing suit of armor that resembled a one-piece bikini somewhat, her arms were covered with a pair of sleeves that tied to her biceps with feather motifs on them, and on her back was a pair of large and fiery wings that would not be out of place on an eagle. The healthy tan on Yuffie's body was replaced by an otherworldly orange glow was like fire. At the end of the transformation, all the wounds were gone…and it was then that she realized who it was that saved her…it was Phoenix._

_Yuffie snapped out of her inspection, and found that her Conformer had become a different weapon: it was now a giant ring with eight fire motifs jutting out of the edge with each flame equidistant from each other, and they each connected to a thick spoke that extended to a smaller ring inside the direct center within the ring's hoop. She recognized the name of the weapon by instinct: Housenkamaru. She then stared down her opponent, and flew into the air with both wings, and dove at Godo swinging her new weapon at him, causing him to block the strike with all six swords—it was too fast to dodge. Before long, the two of them began a deadly dance as Yuffie's wings clashed against Godo's swords as if they were made of steel, in the dance known only as "Death to the Living" as she danced around all of his blades without getting hit herself, but she countered each swing with a small cut, each one gradually getting deeper and deeper before she finished the combo by landing an extremely heavy swing that knocked Godo back, sending him skidding backwards against the floor._

_Godo regained his footing and his balance by stabbing all six of his swords into the ground—and stopping him from smashing into another column. By the time it was over, he was breathing heavily from all three faces, and he was bleeding heavily from each cut that Yuffie had inflicted upon him. This was a very difficult battle indeed…before he could pull his swords out of the ground, Godo watched as his daughter started to grab her weapon by one of its spokes, and then raising it above her head such that its face was pointed at his general direction before she lowered it and it was now facing him. The next thing that he noted was that a large amount of ki had collected in the center of the giant shuriken. SHIT! Before long, Godo found himself pulling out all six of his swords, and ducking for cover only to see that he barely dodged the beam of the almighty attack that was taught to all members of the Kisaragi family that managed to defeat the final guardian…in their native tongue, the attack was known as "Shinra Bansho", but to the Westerners, it would literally be translated to "All Creation"._

_The second that the attack was finished, Godo managed to stand back up and size up his daughter. Yuffie had gotten stronger indeed—there was no doubt in his mind that this was meant to be. With that, he started transforming back to his human form and knelt down in reverie. "I surrender the crown to you, Kisaragi Yuffie…avatar of Phoenix, may the blessings of Leviathan be upon you." With those words said, Yuffie transformed back into her human form, and ran to hug her father with tears of joy falling down her cheeks. Vincent watched the entire exchange—true, he had thought of pulling out Cerberus and shooting his friend during the duel if necessary, but the second that Yuffie had started to transform, he realized that the fight was not over yet. He saw for himself that she was strong. He walked on up to the father and daughter, and bowed low._

"_I congratulate you, your majesty. May the blessings of Leviathan be with you always." Yuffie simply smiled and picked up her lover so that he could see her face-to-face, and kissed him. There would be a brighter future for Wutai now that Yuffie is in power…_

_

* * *

_

Present

It took an hour on foot to reach the place, but the three of them made it…it was the Qinglong Clinic. The entire compound was an old mansion when Vincent's mother moved in, but she made full use of the building. The outer courtyard served as a dojo for her students, while the interior of the mansion contained the living spaces for her and Vincent, as well as some servants, as well as the patient rooms and an office. Yuffie looked around, and found the knocker for the traditional building—she lifted it, and knocked three times.

It wouldn't be long before someone opened the door—it was an old man possibly in his seventies or eighties. "Can I help you?"

Vincent studied the man, wondering if he knew him from somewhere. His thoughts were broken when Yuffie spoke to him. "Excuse me sir, I wanted to ask about the former residents of this mansion."

"Mansion? Ma'am, I don't know about you, but this is not a mansion for sale."

"Is this how you speak to an empress old man?"

The old man looked carefully at Yuffie. When his face registered shock, he panicked, and cowed his head to the ground. "I'm sorry milady. This is but a humble clinic, and now if you'll excuse me, the doctor has some patients to treat."

It was then that something clicked in Vincent's mind. "Really now? Because I could have sworn I smelled the scent of those siu mai of yours being made in that direction, Matsutaka Gen…you always did enjoy cooking more than you did training."

The old man's eyes widened in surprise and shock upon hearing his name. "How do you know who I am?"

"I remember you steaming those siu mai when I was a child. You served as a cook for my mother because you could not pay for those martial arts instructions in money, and you were indebted to her for that medical operation she performed for your wife a while before that."

Gen's eyes softened as he recognized the man in the wheelchair before him. "Master Vincent?"

"The one and only."

"It's been so long, I've heard of what you did with AVALANCHE by rumor. To think, you helped to save the world three times! Oh, your mother would have been so proud. Come in! Come in!" With that, Yuffie, Zangan, and Vincent entered the walls of the mansion—for Yuffie, it was like walking into a place much more beautiful than the palace, but for Zangan and Vincent, it really brought back memories. "I heard that you became the general for the Military Police and that you married the empress herself. And from what I've seen, she's a most beautiful lady."

"That she is. And I see that you've kept the mansion the way I remember it. Is there a new doctor treating patients in there?"

"Yes, it's Hazama Kuro—I'm sure he'll be pleased to see you again."

Vincent remembered Hazama Kuro indeed as they entered the mansion. He was a student to his mother in martial arts and studied medicine under her—he was a genius in both Traditional Wutainese Medicine and unconventional treatment methods. Although older than Vincent by almost ten years, the two got along very well as friends and almost twenty years Matsutaka's junior.

"I'm curious Master Vincent, what brings you back here?"

Vincent heaved out a heavy sigh…it was going to be a long discussion the second he gets into the mansion…

* * *

_**A/N: And another one gone and another one gone! Another one bites the dust! Two down, five to go on Vincent's list. Perhaps I'll be doing at least one thing on the two lists per chapter neh? In any case, I'm looking to more name suggestions if you can assist—I'll keep taking names until Vincent has 1 month left.**_

_**

* * *

**_

_**Songs Played:**_

"_**Fatal Fight (Jin & Margulis)", Yuki Kajiura—Yuffie vs. Godo**_

"_**Merry-go-round of Life", Joe Hisaishi—Yuffie and Vincent stroll around and meet Zangan.**_

_**

* * *

**_

_**Vocabulary and Culture notes:**_

_**Shakujo—this is a Buddhist meditation tool, it takes the form of a stick with a metal ring at one end that is holding a number of smaller metal rings within it; wandering monks use this to warn all little creatures to move aside lest they get stepped on accidentally, and to tell others that there is a monk nearby in need of alms.**_

_**Yamabushi—a Shinto ascetic that lives in the mountains practicing "shugendo" which is "the art of being one with nature".**_

_**Byakko Shinryoujou—Japanese for "White Tiger Medical Clinic".**_

_**Asura—a three-faced demon with six arms; in Buddhist and Hindu teachings about reincarnation, the worst possible fate that could befall you due to an overload of bad karma is to become an asura.**_

_**Martial Forest—the literal term for this in Mandarin is "Wulin"…it's a fictional society in Chinese martial arts novels where everyone knows martial arts.**_

_**Housenkamaru—this is Japanese for "Phonix Fire", and is a boy's name because of the '-maru' attached to the end.**_

_**Shinra Bansho—this is literally how you say "All Creation" in Japanese…an idiom that meant 'everything covered by God' which fits by Buddhist teachings. **_


	11. The Curry From Hell

_**A/N: In many cases, I tend to see Vincent as a jack-of-all-trades when it comes to something requiring rather intricate finger work…he can play a piano, he can twirl a handgun, and apparently, I can even see him twirling a balisong around. The first dream sequence is here…and apparently Yuffie has been having a bad dream or two in the past…what will she tell Vincent?

* * *

**_

Time until Vincent's life expires: 16 days, 5 months…

The cemetery was a silent place—only the wind blowing through the leaves in the trees and brushing past the grass could be heard as they sat in the limousine driving around. Yuffie remembered the picture that she saw while Vincent and the others were talking yesterday. She didn't believe him when he said that his mom looked like Tifa—actually, were she alive, she would have passed off as her friend very easily. The difference between her and Tifa however is that Vincent's mother wore oval glasses, had her hair plaited, and was just a smidge daintier; but Li Xiao Long Nu was not the only person in the picture though, as she was sitting down next to a man that looked like Vincent and she had a young boy on her lap. It was clear to Yuffie where Vincent got his height and overall body frame from…the difference between him and Grimoire is that Vincent had inherited quite a bit of a smoother shape from his mother, thus allowing him to pass off as a woman very easily.

The car stopped as all the passengers got out—they had found the general area of their destination. The second they left the car and Vincent was placed on his chair, they started moving out to the grass. After a few minutes of searching, Vincent had paused to see something surprising—oh he saw his mother's gravestone all right, but it was the gravestone next to hers that caught his attention as it belonged to Zangan Gorobei. "My parents requested that their remains be interred next to your mother's," explained Mitchell, "when I confronted my dad about his depression one day after the funeral, he revealed to me that he fell in love with your mother Vincent. I didn't know whether to feel betrayed or sorry for him—on the one hand, I felt betrayed because he was supposed to love my mother and love her only, and on top of that, he made vows with her. On the other hand, I felt sorry because his heart split in two; according to him, he confessed that he had feelings your mom, and proposed a secret love affair away from everyone else. Xiao Long Nu said that she was touched by his feelings, and she felt the same way—but she chose not to go with the affair; she said that a love affair should only be done if the current marriage has no love at all, and she said that she still loved your father just as he loved my mother still…he realized that she was right, and apparently, they never spoke of it again. But it still hurt him when she died."

"My mother on the other hand wanted to be buried with her husband because she also had a bit of a connection with Li Xiao Long Nu—as a friend. And so she requested that she be buried with her friend when her time came."

"Why are you telling me this Mitchell?"

"I felt that you had the right to know about this. I wanted this secret off my chest—and I also knew that sooner or later you'd return to this site and wonder. I didn't tell you sooner because I haven't heard from you until Tifa mentioned you."

Yuffie looked on at the two headstones before turning to Zangan. "Did your mother suspect anything?"

"She didn't show any signs that told me that she did, but on some level, I think she at least suspected something was up…why she never left dad were that the case, I'll never know—she never told me of her suspicions."

"It's probably a better scenario if she didn't know," began Vincent, "going by what I remember of your mother, she was a rather happy lady who would have given everything to see your father happy and to see you healthy. In the worst case scenario, it would have broken her heart if she learned what Gorobei was planning to pull off with my mother, and then who knows what would have happened next."

"You're probably right Vincent," said Dr. Hazama, "Mrs. Zangan was among the gentlest women I've ever met, your mother being one of them. I don't even want to think about the consequences of such an action."

"But what about with me Vincent?" asked Yuffie as she looked at her husband, concern in her eyes, "would you have told me if you were planning on having an affair?"

Vincent looked upwards at her. "Of course I would—but then again, like any other happily married man, I'd be too afraid of the consequences if I even thought of doing so. You don't have to worry though…if all the women in the world were to sell me their souls for just one night of bliss, none would be able to compete with you Yuffie. I only regret not finding you in my life sooner…it would have saved us all the trouble that followed when I fell for Lucrecia."

Yuffie hugged Vincent around his neck. "Well I don't…if you had succeeded in convincing her out of it, then we wouldn't be together."

Vincent coughed lightly. "Did you take your medicine?"

"Don't worry. I took it an hour ago…no severe lung damage anytime soon."

With that said, all present bowed three times before the tombstones…

* * *

Unknown place and time…

_She didn't know where she was…she just knew that she was not back in the palace snuggled in Vincent's arms and her head pillowed against his chest. The only clue as to her current whereabouts was nothing but a forest of black pine. This was probably a dream, but what is she doing here? Before she could think anymore on the matter, she heard a snap and the soft thudding of padded feet rushing away from her…she immediately went to investigate the source of the sound, and sure enough, she found a broken twig, and it was stuck in a paw print—probably belonging to a canine of some sort. As she investigated the tracks using the hunting skills she learned, she found that the creature was probably bipedal as the strides were too far apart for it to be a quadruped…although the fact that there were fingerlike claw marks on the ground near the paw prints suggested that the creature bowed its body low for a streamlined profile in order to increase its running speed._

_Oh Yuffie knew what made those prints…she just hoped that she found him before his trail got cold. With that thought on mind, she immediately pulled out a scroll hiding Conformer, and began to follow the trail left behind by the Galian Beast. Wherever he was going, it seemed like he was in hot pursuit of something. From what Vincent had told her about this particular tenant of his, Galian Beast was a wolf-spirit of the hunt that ruled the forests of Wutai and stalked evil souls that escaped their imprisonment in hell; and because he is a spirit of the hunt, once he finds a prey of interest, he will chase it down to the ends of the earth until he catches said prey. She ran for nearly an hour before the tracks got cold—the destination in particular was an open clearing. Why would he stop here? Unless…_

_Before she could think anymore on the matter, Yuffie saw a sight that was curious to say the least—it was Vincent walking into the clearing…and he was carrying a baby in his arms. The pink blanket stated that the gender of the baby was a girl—their girl. The second he took one step into the dead center of the clearing, he froze—his arms came loose and the baby fell to the ground breaking her head open before he himself succumbed to the sleep of death as Chaos immediately began to swoop on out of his body while laughing evilly. Yuffie immediately ran to her husband and daughter only to feel something shooting from the sky and pinning her to the ground…

* * *

_

Time until Vincent's life expires: 15 days, 5 months…Palace of Wutai

She woke up with a gasp…she's been having this nightmare since she learned about the cause of Vincent's imminent death. As Yuffie studied the area around her, she noted that she was back in the storage room—she then remembered why she was in that area of the palace in the first place…she was looking for the booties that her mother had given to her when she was a baby. There was a reason that was on her bucket list, as she wanted to study the pattern of the booties so that she could make them for her daughter.

With her mind made up, Yuffie started propping herself up only to realize that she was not alone—last she remembered, there was no blanket around her, and neither was Vincent parked in his wheelchair and asleep at the wall next to her. As she put two and two together, she came to realize that as she was looking for the booties, Vincent must have found her falling asleep, and decided against leaving her there alone. So he came back with a blanket, and must've gently parked himself next to her as she remained asleep. She smiled sadly as she continued to ponder that dream she had been having. While she was glad that it was simply that, Yuffie could not help but wonder if it would ever come to pass that she would be joining Vincent in death with their daughter. She simply kissed her husband gently on the forehead, and started to move quietly so as not to disturb him in his sleep…Leviathan only knows how much of his sleep is haunted by nightmares even today.

She thought he was going to wake up, but she learned that he was only coughing for a bit…thank Leviathan he took his pills—she most certainly did not want him coughing up his blood on her…but at the same time, she tried to make him comfier by massaging his chest gently. Once assured that he was asleep, she started weaving her way out—at last, she was free! Now to get to work on looking for that pair of booties! The second she stood up, she jumped forward and crashed into a shelf the second she felt something on her ass, barely managing to catch a large box in midair before it fell on Vincent's head. Yuffie let out a sigh of relief, and set the box down before pulling out her PHS. Whoever was calling her had better have something important…or else she'll be asking for that person's head. "Hello?"

"Yuffie?"

It was Tifa! "Oh hey Teef, what's up?"

Her voice sounded excited. "I've got news Yuffie! I was in the hospital for my checkup on the baby—the doctor said that I wasn't going to have a baby. I asked her why, and she said 'Because that's not a baby in there Mrs. Strife…' And she showed me and Cloud why…"

As she lowered the box down with the phone held in her shoulder Yuffie was curious…what was so exciting that Tifa was so eager to let out the news? It had to be good, otherwise Tifa would've been admitted to the nearest psychiatric ward. "What? What did the two of you see?"

"Doctor Finnegan showed me on the ultrasound that there was not a baby inside of me, Yuffie…there are two!"

Her eyes widened with surprise…Tifa was having twins? This was indeed good news! "Did you find out the genders?"

"One of them is a boy, the other's a girl."

"Oh my god Tifa! You're having twins!"

"I know!"

"Have you thought of any names yet?"

"Well, for the girl, we decided to name her Maya…it sounded like a really pretty name, and Cloud and I agreed to it. We're having trouble agreeing on what to name the boy—Cid already beat us to Blake, lucky him. Now we're considering having a look in 'The Big Book of Children's Names'…that's how much we're at our wit's end about this!"

"What about Warren? I mean, Vince and I were going to name our baby that, but then we found out that it was going to be a girl…at least when we thought it was a boy, we were certain of it, but now we're very lost on what to name our little princess."

"About Vincent…how's he doing?"

"Aside from his lung medications, he should be doing fine. Why? What's up?"

"Dr. Edwards asked me to check up on Vincent for him. I'm very sorry Yuffie that you have to go through all this—and with a baby on the way…"

"I've made peace with it already Teef. I know that Vincent's going to die, but all I can do at the moment is make his last days the best he's ever had. What would you have done if it was Cloud that this was happening to?"

"I don't know…but maybe I would have done what you're doing now."

"I've got to go Tifa, but say hi to Cloud for me!"

"Okay then, bye!"

It was then that Yuffie hung up her PHS. Now where in the world were those booties? It was then that she figured 'might as well check out that box I almost dropped', and sure enough, there they were—in their small and silken pink cuteness. These were the same silken booties that her mother made for her when she was a baby. Oh she could remember it now…they were blurry memories, but they were good memories nonetheless—memories of the time when her mother was still alive.

It was then that she heard Vincent groaning as he woke up. "Judging by the joyful aura in the room, I'd say something good's happened."

Yuffie simply crept up to Vincent and kissed him on the forehead. "Tifa's having twins."

"Good news it is then…"

"I suggested naming their son Warren."

"I can see Blake having competition for our princess's affection."

"Ah yes, I can see it now…all our little grandchildren would probably be having little potty mouths just like their daddy and his daddy before him. Just a scenario I'd like to avoid if at all possible."

"Agreed…let's hope that her affections gravitate in the general direction of young Warren Strife." It was then that Vincent's attention was turned elsewhere…he reached forward, and picked up what it was that gathered his interest from a shelf. "Well, it's been a while since I've seen this…"

She was curious to as to what it was that Vincent picked up, and so Yuffie took a look, and she found a pair of small bars with a hinge on each end, and latched shut. What in the world was that? Her question was answered when Vincent used his pinkie to unlatch the bars, and grabbing one bar—the motions were quick, but by the time they were over, she now knew what it was that he was twirling around…when she noted a blade pointing at her at the end of one motion before Vincent twirled the blade closed by rolling it around his thumb. "Is that…a balisong?"

As he spoke, Vincent twirled around the balisong, performing various tricks with it. "That it is…in fact, I remember getting one in particular for my birthday while I was out there clamping down on the terrorism pandemic…as much as I hated Shin-Ra then. It took me hours in my spare time to do so, but I was able to master the art of twirling it; and in turn, it also served me well in my days as a Turk when I had to take a life…discreetly and when a gun would be inappropriate for silence. Plus the colleague who gave me that knife bet that I would not be able to master at least 30 tricks with it in two weeks."

"Did you win?"

"I mastered it in one week, six days, twenty-three hours, and 59 minutes after learning 40 tricks. The prize for the winner was the pool accumulated from everyone participating in the bet (which totaled up to nearly 3000 gil), while the humiliating fate of the loser was of scrubbing the latrines and buying doughnuts for the entire squad for a whole month."

"How is that humiliating?"

Vincent's expression was grim and yet it also betrayed a sliver of amusement…maybe even a bit of relief…it must have been so humiliating if he was relieved at the close call. "Oh it was humiliating when the loser of the bet had to scrub the latrines for a whole month…with his tongue."

Yuffie's eyes widened in surprise, while her jaw had fallen to the ground. "No…fucking…way…"

"Yes fucking way."

"How did you do it?"

"I practiced twirling handguns since the first day I was drafted…once I trained up my hand and fingers to be faster and more agile for tricks with a balisong, it was easy."

"That's cool! Is there anything else you can do?"

"As long as I already have the basics on how to do it, and I've trained my fingers to be fast enough, I can pretty much do anything that requires delicate finger-work. By the way Yuffie, I've a surprise for you."

"What sort of surprise?"

"I've been doing some research—apparently a rumor has been found of the spiciest food in the world."

Yuffie looked at Vincent with curiosity in her eyes. "What did you find out in your research?"

"I must ask you a question before I tell you what I've learned…how high is your tolerance to curry?"

There was excitement in her eyes when he mentioned the word 'curry', as Yuffie's voice was near screaming. "Are you kidding me? I love curry!"

"Well then, in that case—rumor has it that a restaurant in New Wutai had developed the formula for what is quite possibly the spiciest food and the world's best curry in the world by accident…so far, only the yakuza bosses have tasted it, and that's because the curry was so good that they extorted the head chef into keeping its cooking process and the location of the restaurant a closely-guarded secret."

"How did you get wind of this rumor?"

"Sakura gave me the heads up on its existence…she didn't exactly tell me the name of the restaurant, but she did tell me that it was somewhere in the downtown area of New Wutai. After a bit of research, I managed to find its exact location."

"How soon can we get there?"

"Well milady, if we get dressed now and call up Ichigo, we can be there in time for the restaurant to open quietly for the yakuza bosses. Which actually works well if there are gambler-style bosses out and about…in the event you feel like busting someone and throwing them into jail."

Yuffie was very overjoyed as she kissed Vincent in the mouth and ran off to her room to get changed—today, she got to finish off two things on her list of things to do. It actually put the thoughts of her nightmares out of her mind—especially when it was her dying husband that was helping her. But at the same time, she could not help but wonder if what she had foreseen would come true…after all, that first nightmare she had before this one had already come true…

* * *

Flashback, roughly 15 days ago…

_She woke up to Vincent shaking her awake. "Are you all right Yuffie?" he asked, "You seemed to be having a nightmare." "Yeah, I'm fine Vince," she said, "don't worry about it. It's just a dream after all."_

"_Do you wish to talk about it?"_

"_No, but thanks Vinnie…I'll be fine."_

_Truth be told, she was in fact quite a bit tired…the same nightmare had been haunting her dreams for a while now. The only thing that kept her brave was the fact that she was having Vincent's baby…she was going to be a mother! She was going to have a princess of her own—a child that Vincent can finally be there for…a child that he can actually be a father to…a child that would make their lives complete. It was then that she began to consider the meaning of her nightmare._

_Yuffie remembered it well…she was walking around in the darkness towards her cottage outside of Wutai. She then noted that the lights were on…how can this be? Who was in there? Once she got a look inside the window, she saw Vincent sitting in the middle of the living room looking at an album next to the fireplace—he studied one photograph in particular however, and that was the photograph of him and Yuffie sitting in the central park. They took that photograph shortly after Vincent's attack on the yakuza heads and his prompt promotion to Commissioner right after that event. Suddenly, out of nowhere, Chaos crept out of the shadows slowly—something was not right about him…he had a psychotic grin on his face that spoke of murder…and he was carrying a butcher knife. She banged against the windows, trying to get his attention—to warn him of the impending doom, but Vincent continued on as if he didn't hear anything…and it was too late! Chaos took the butcher knife, and ran it through Vincent's neck, laughing evilly as he threw the body into the fire the second that his body softened in death from blood loss via a severed jugular vein and carotid artery. It was then that he flew out of the cottage, and Yuffie could do nothing but watch as the house she lived in burned to the ground with Vincent's corpse inside._

_Ever since she found herself to be pregnant, Yuffie had been suffering from this nightmare. It was truly an awful affair…and had been making it hard for her to sleep. Now she knew how bad Vincent's been having it all his life before they found him. However, there was one good thing to be celebrating tonight—and it really did lift her spirits then…as Tifa had announced her pregnancy!_

_As she and Vincent walked to the limousine after Cid landed the Shera and started following them for the ride, Yuffie's joy upon hearing that her friend was having a baby as well was enough to make Yuffie forget about the nightmares she's been happy. It was a rather joyful set of news! "I can't believe Tifa's pregnant."_

"_I hope Cloud intends to marry her…speaking of which, a little bird has been telling me that it's likely to happen tonight."_

"_Shelke told you?"_

"_Whenever she's off from a mission or she's not going out with Reeve, she's living with them now. Pretty soon, she will be Ms. Tifa Lockheart no longer, but instead she will be Mrs. Tifa Lockheart-Strife…assuming of course she wants to change her surname as is traditionally done."_

"_Somehow, I think Tifa seems likely to want to seal the deal with the name-change."_

"_Agreed."_

_The drive to the Seventh Heaven was uneventful one, but party that celebrated Tifa's pregnancy was a happy one…there was a photograph of AVALANCHE set up behind the bar from when Aeris was still alive so that she could participate from beyond the grave in a sense. The food was nice, and everyone was giving praise to Tifa and Yuffie as well as wishing them both luck in their futures as mothers. And now it was speech time as Vincent pulled out the bottle of 2005 Chateau Renoir Midgarian Pinot Noir, filled his glass, and stood up._

"_Everyone, I'd like to have your attention! I'd like say 'thank-you' to Cloud and Tifa, for inviting us all on this most joyous occasion. If there were a time that I most had thanks for, it would be the day that we all got together and became the one thing that made us different from any other group of friends…and that would be the day when we all became a family. And so to you Cloud Strife, I wish you a long and happy future with Tifa at your side, and a new life which you shall be bringing into this world. To you, Tifa Lockheart, I wish you…" Before he could continue any further, everyone could only watch Vincent began to double back in a fit of coughing…and were frozen in terror when they saw the telltale red of blood on his hand. As Vincent pulled his hand away to inspect the liquid on his hand, he began to faint—dropping the glass of wine to the ground._

_Yuffie was the first to react the second she saw him sway and drop the glass. She immediately ran, and caught him mid-fall. "SOMEBODY CALL AN AMBULANCE!"

* * *

_

Present…

The limousine stopped at an alley two blocks away from a restaurant in the food district…in this area of New Wutai, restaurants and markets were more common than anything else—hence it was given the title of Rice Town. It is here in Rice Town that many of the yakuza don't even bother coming here to start a fight—it's a unanimously-declared demilitarized zone for them by the council, and it is in one restaurant in particular that they gather for any council meetings that Yuffie would find the spiciest food in the world. "Milady, I don't think you should be seen here," said Ichigo, "if anyone knows you've been seen at this part of town…"

"There's no worry," said Yuffie, fixing a wig over her head, "nobody is going to recognize me while I have this on. Besides, I'm going out while there's customers being served—they're not going to make a big fuss if I come out in disguise. You ready Vince?"

Vincent shifting his sunglasses up and popped two lung medication pills into his mouth and downing them with a water bottle. "Now I am." With that, Ichigo got out of the car, and pulled out the wheelchair, helping Yuffie to stuff him into the seat. "We'll call you when we're ready to leave at the rendezvous point."

"Understood. I'll see you there soon."

Ichigo drove away, and then Yuffie and Vincent were apparently two different people altogether. Yuffie wore a wig of black hair that went down to the top of her buttocks and a pair of glowing neon-blue contact lenses that made her appear to be a former SOLDIER member. Vincent on the other hand wore a pair of sunglasses that obscured his eyes and a wig with cropped hair that made him appear as he did in his Turk days—he played the blind and crippled lover to the pregnant woman who aided him.

The second they got to the door, Yuffie opened the door for Vincent and allowed him to wheel into the restaurant, known only as "Northern Spices". Thankfully, nobody recognized the couple as they walked toward the receptionist.

"Can I help you?"

"Yes, I have a reservation for two under the name 'Gao'."

"Ah yes, right this way." The two of them followed the receptionist as they found their table…a chair was pulled away to accommodate for Vincent being in a wheelchair. After almost five minutes, a waiter appeared. "Can I take your order?"

Yuffie pulled out a folded piece of paper out of her pocket, and handed it to the waiter. "Yes, I'd like a pot of tea, and two orders of this."

Upon reading the writing on the paper, the waiter's eyes widened in surprise before he turned to Yuffie. "M-ma'am, I'm not sure we have that dish on our…" Before he could continue, the waiter felt something like a knife pointing at his genitals. Yuffie grinned slightly and playfully waved him in closer—oh he knew what she wanted…and he would oblige this woman who was threatening his manhood with a knife by getting closer so that she can whisper at him.

"I don't give a rat's ass what's not on your menu. If you are so worried about the yakuza coming down on you, then tell the chef to keep it a secret. I doubt you'll be refusing this customer again…especially since she's paying you well, and is royalty."

The waiter pulled away slightly so that he could study her face, and sure enough, he was frightened. Oh he was trapped between a rock and a hard place—on the one hand, the chef swore all the employees to keep the existence of the world's best curry a secret or else the yakuza would have their heads, and on the other, he was being threatened by the empress herself, and no doubt with a blind man witnessing it. All he could do was gulp as he was sweating bullets from sheer terror at the situation he had found himself in. "I-I'll see what I can do…in the meantime, w-w-what sort of tea would you be having y-y-your majesty?"

Yuffie looked to Vincent, silently inquiring as to what he wanted. "Genmaicha is fine."

The waiter felt the knife being pulled away, and despite the relief he found that he was no longer being threatened, he was still sweating away in fear. "I-I-I'll have your t-t-tea ready for you shortly…and I'll s-see to it that t-t-the chef complies…" Only after he finished that sentence did the waiter run off, almost knocking over a waitress and a customer.

"Was that really necessary?"

"He wouldn't comply. How would you have done it?"

"Well, I would…"

"You know what, forget it…I know what you're going to say—you're going to say that it usually takes manners to convince someone to do something for you…besides, your gentlemanly act would've only worked on us ladies anyway…not that I'm asking you to stop being gentlemanly, of course. The way I see it, the day you do anything ungentlemanly is the day the world ends again."

"The 'gentlemanly act' doesn't just charm women. In fact, I've actually charmed men successfully with it too…although the memories of my successes are ones I'd much rather forget."

Her eyes widened with surprise upon hearing that. "You mean…were they…really?"

"Yes, yes, and yes. And don't ask me how because even I don't know, but for some reason, I can tell if a man or woman is gay, straight, or bisexual. For example, the lady on the table behind you is a lesbian, but one of her brothers is straight and the other is bi."

"What about the waiter?"

"If I switched on the charm on him, he would have not only gotten our food to us peacefully, but I'm fairly certain he would have been masturbating the second he got home."

"Because he's gay?"

"Because he's gay."

As if on cue, the waiter appeared, with a teapot and two teacups. Vincent nodded to Yuffie, saying to her that he's going to show her something. With that, he pretended to be blind, and tapped the waiter's hand to get his attention. "Thank-you kind sir for the service. Now if you would kindly bring us our food as soon as possible, I'll see to it that my tip for you is higher than usual." The waiter looked at Vincent, turning red from hearing his voice. Oh he was scared, but this was the good sort of scared. "You're welcome s-sir…I'll see if I can get you your food sooner then…" With that, the waiter began sauntering away…and Yuffie looked to see the waiter actually trip over a customer's foot before getting back up and running back into the kitchen before turning her attention back to Vincent with surprise in her eyes.

It was then that Vincent shook off the sense of unpleasantness he felt when he charmed the waiter. "This is how much more convincing being polite can be…it is only when you have no other option that you should be turning to threats. I only regret having to show you in this manner."

Yuffie moved on in and kissed her husband on the lips. "Nobody is ever going to take you away from me…not while I draw breath."

"Yuffie…"

"Don't say it. I just want to forget about that fact right now. I want you to enjoy what time you have left…that's all I want from you now."

It wasn't long before the waiter returned with the food, and winked at Vincent…only to spot a jealous Yuffie glaring daggers at him. It was then that the waiter turned to face Vincent in shock…and then in resignation. "I'm sorry about this. But I do have a tip for you should you go out searching for a date…make sure you're on the same page, and manners will be more than helpful."

"Thanks."

"I'm still giving you a better tip for your service."

"Thank-you kindly sir."

With that, the waiter bowed, and left with a satisfied look on his face. As soon as he was gone, Yuffie looked on at the dish in front of her: the curry was a yellowish color with orange pools of chili oil floating on top and cubes of potatoes and beef, onion slices, and what looked like chili peppers were sitting at the bottom. She dipped her spoon into the bowl, and poured a little bit of the curry on some of her side of rice before scooping it up and eating it. Oh she could taste it! Mixed into the curry powder was also wasabi powder, ground peppercorn, and something even hotter than chili—it was jalapeño pepper! No wonder it was spicy…the head chef went all-out with the spices in the sauce! She wasted no time in downing her cup of tea…and she watched as even Vincent had trouble…as she watched him cry out of another reason than sadness…life started looking better now!

* * *

_**A/N: And now through a dream, we have a look at things to come. Would Yuffie's dream come true? On a lighter note…OMG! Tifa's having twins! I picture New Wutai as a sort of analogue to modern-day Hong Kong according to my dad.

* * *

**_

_**Songs Played:**_

"_**Soldier Vs. Ghost" from "Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes": Yuffie tracking down Galian Beast.

* * *

**_

_**Vocabulary and Culture notes:**_

_**Genmaicha—this is a Japanese green tea where the tea leaves are mixed in with brown rice that is sometimes popped…in the old days, this was for the peasants because tea was so expensive in those days.**_


	12. Trophies and Treasures

_**A/N: Revealing the pregnancy for the first time…this ought to have an emotional response now won't it? Read and review would you kindly?**_

_**

* * *

**_

Time until Vincent's life expires: 28 days, 4 months…

The sound of Conformer whistling in the winds as it spun towards its target was loud enough for all to hear as Yuffie had missed her target…a Midgarian zolom snake was fair game for hunting, but a Wutainese venom-mouth dragon was as challenging a target one could get without invoking the wrath of any of the Bahamut dragons; the reason being that the venom-mouth made its home in the treetops, climbing with such skill that it is a danger to any of the independent tribe hunters that accidentally attack it, especially given its lithe body frame. However, if anybody were to hunt the dragon down professionally, they would know that the most prized part of the dragon is the venom glands—the venom is contained in a pair of viper-like fangs that overloads the nervous system of the target, causing them to suffer a most painful and torturous ordeal before the neurotoxin asphyxiates the victim, practically strangling them to death, and each drop of venom is enough to kill fifty people unless the antidote is administered within five minutes. It also does not help that the same venom is contained in the skin and blood of the dragon, making it ill-advised to partake in this creature's flesh unless you have a high resistance to toxins as the regular Bahamut does or the chef in question has a genuine license and training in cooking it.

The dragon kept crawling away even as Yuffie's Conformer had chopped a branch shortly after it got away. She silently cursed as she watched the dragon get away. Damn it! That smug bastard wasn't going to get away as easily though…although she really did hope that this kind of dragon was not as smart as they are said to be. Before she could think more on the matter, she heard the sound of a thunderclap mixed in with the bang of a gunshot break through the air followed by a roar of pain…oh she had an idea as to what made that earlier sound, but she didn't think it was ready to be used yet. Among Vincent's pastimes aside from piano was his skill in customizing guns—his latest project, the "Zeus" is a semiautomatic sniper rifle chambered for the .50 BMG round, and can fire up to six shots at ultra-high speeds in order to penetrate pretty much anything a little over a mile away…and because it has a lightning materia permanently fixed into the gun that causes the round to vibrate constantly at a frequency of nearly 5000 MHz, courtesy of sharing the project with Rufus whenever he was not training his legs up for the eventual trip to Nibelheim.

As she followed the source of the sound, she saw Vincent wedged in between two trees, with the barrel of the Zeus smoking. A few feet away from him however, was the dismembered arm of the dragon—it was green, and it had webs in between the clawed fingers, and between the bicep and the forearm while sitting in a pool of blood. He had come along to aid in the hunt while test-firing this weapon that him and Rufus had designed, and it was truly a beast—the entire gun was practically man-sized; the barrel was almost four feet long with the muzzle brake on one end, while the stock and the firing mechanism extended from the gun a good two and a half feet from the other end of the barrel with a bipod in between the muzzle brake and the firing mechanism. In terms of aesthetics however, Vincent had personally worked on the designs…as he had planned out the gold inlay of clouds that entwined around the barrel, as well as the image of a bearded and muscled man holding a lightning bolt like a javelin in preparation to throw it etched onto the stock—likely the namesake of the gun.

"I'd follow the blood trail," he said finally after pulling back the bolt of the gun, letting the steaming and empty case of the bullet fall to the ground, "the venom-mouth is by far one of the scariest creatures in Wutai, and is the apex predator of the trees—although it is not above coming down from its natural habitat to snatch prey from the ground. It's a tactic I used during my days of hunting terrorists when I had to hunt them down in the wild—assuming of course they were stupid enough to not bandage the wound and run back to the base."

Oh she was interested now…she just had to know. "Were there any kills you were actually proud of?"

As the two of them walked on out together deeper into the forest, Yuffie noted that the aura around Vincent seemed to darken with that oh-so-familiar feeling. "Before I was forced to join the Turks shortly after the pandemic was quelled, there were few terrorists I actually felt pleasure to be ridding the world of…their deaths would haunt my sleep among the other lives I've taken as they taunted me for being a monster and belonging with them. The worst of them however were the leaders of said terrorists—now most of those are the sort of terrorists I felt pleasure in killing as they've taken advantage of uneducated adults and impressionable teenagers and children, and used their influence to order those under their command to kill hundreds of innocent people in the name of such things as religion and pride."

"But what about AVALANCHE? Weren't we originally a terrorist cell?"

"Of all the terrorist cells I've ever encountered, the AVALANCHE of today is far from the mindless fanatics I've come to hate—no, I don't hate them as they have a true cause, and they don't waste the lives of their members needlessly like the many terrorist cells I've seen and destroyed. As a matter of fact, I highly doubt that AVALANCHE today is even a terrorist cell by definition…I think they're more along the lines of rebels than outright terrorists."

"Wait, what do you mean 'the AVALANCHE of today'? I thought Barrett was the leader of AVALANCHE before Cloud."

"True, but back then, AVALANCHE was one of the terrorist cells I wiped out—when I was a conscript, a man by the name of Oleg Mendeleev of Mideel led the organization…under his command, fanatics believed that everyone was guilty for killing the world—they were the reason that everything went bad in the world. The man preached that if death came to the members of the cell from doing harm to the 'scourges of the world' (namely Shin-Ra), then they would be rewarded with a one-way trip to heaven while being attended to by nothing but virgins. Mendeleev was the worst one I've ever had to hunt, as in my eyes; HE was the true enemy of the world at the time…as it was AVALANCHE under his command that directed all the terrorist cells to continue on with the pandemic…I remember that day well, when I aided in finishing him off…I shot one of the terrorists he had under his command in the shoulder, and he lead me through the jungle towards Oleg's hiding place in Gongaga unknowingly. After I did some recon, we made short work of the organization by storming the base—and before long, the campaign was over. The whole plan was that once Oleg was dead, all of his remaining forces would fight to the death for power within the organization, and from what I've heard, it worked—AVALANCHE never reared its head again for nearly thirty years. One thing I never saw coming was that one of the members had a different view from Oleg—he realized that their old ways of wanton murder upon innocent people was getting them nowhere, and that their real enemy was Shin-Ra for they were the ones actually doing the most harm in the world…he also saw the chaos that had hit the organization, and thought that it was for the best that it happened. At the time, I thought it was only a rumor. Care to guess who reformed AVALANCHE after that?"

"Don't tell me you've…"

"The first time I met Barrett was after you found me in the coffin. I filled in the blanks after that when you introduced yourselves to me as AVALANCHE—particularly Barrett himself. At that time, I was very wary around you because I remembered AVALANCHE from before, and so one terrorist act from any of you and the entire operation would have been wiped out again. But after seeing that Cloud had caused a whole 180-degree turn for the organization, I began to see hope for them."

"But still…to think that you could've met Barrett all those years ago…that's something…"

Before she could say anything else, Yuffie was gently silenced by Vincent pausing for a second—he was studying something before drawing Cerberus from its holster…she then saw that he was looking at a splash of blood on leaves—from the dragon no doubt. But as she studied around the area, she noted that this was where the blood trail stopped…only two things were possible: either the dragon bled to death or…

Her train of thought was interrupted as Vincent pushed her away just in time for a claw swiping downwards to miss them both. They looked at the dragon, and saw that it had a feral look in its eyes…oh it was pissed! Yuffie swung her Conformer quickly to push it back, but the dragon pulled its head back, and countered by whipping its head back to bite Yuffie in the arm—only for it to be decapitated just before it could be decapitated against a nearby tree as she had managed to swing her arm back just in time to throw the gigantic shuriken at the dragon, covering herself from the dragon's arterial spray of blood. She then noted as Vincent tackled her from the side…and she watched in awe as the dragon started thrashing around without its head…that is until Vincent pulled the trigger on Cerberus four times through the shoulder, the chest, and the hips—knocking the body down and putting the creature out of its misery as he shattered the ball joints of the said areas.

After the dragon was found to be dead, Vincent gave her his hand, and lifted Yuffie up. "Nice throw as usual dear."

"Thanks—looks like you haven't lost your touch Vince."

Vincent nodded and walked towards the dragon, pulled out a survival knife, and began to work at cutting the dragon to pieces. The scene was disgusting as he hacked the dragon apart by the joints while putting each piece of every limb into a plastic bag and the torso into a separate one. "What are you doing?"

"My mother taught me to respect nature—the head is proof that you hunted and killed this dragon, but at the same time we have to make sure none of that body goes to waste…from what I gather, there are still hunters from the tribes who could use that poison we drain from the meat, which is still edible providing the poison is extracted properly…hence why I packed a bag."

"Is the poison dangerous to the baby?"

"If taken in any higher dose than is safe in the meat, which is roughly 34mL, then it would most definitely be dangerous to pregnant women—hence why only shamans are allowed to cut this meat up…which also happens to be a good day to be hunting this dragon as a tribal barbecue is up soon, as it's the graduation day for everyone aiming to be hunters in the tribe nearby."

She simply smiled—this was a good day…it gave her a sense of accomplishment when she had taken that dragon out by herself! Well, Vincent helped out, but still, she was the one who took the dragon's head! This moment was only second to that day …

* * *

Flashback, Roughly 4-5 months ago…

_Vincent walked around in the palace…it had been almost a day since he last saw Yuffie—he was concerned that something had happened to her…such as a disease. When she slammed the door on him angrily, he wondered what it was that he had done to deserve it…just where did he go wrong? And that was why he was toting a bouquet of white roses, and a mastered Shiva materia in his hands. Granted that it was dinner tonight, and he was spending time with his wife in her home away from home—and all her cats had thankfully been put to bed by now so that his rodent friends would not have to worry. He only hoped that atlatl effect wouldn't apply on this supposedly romantic night…last time it was applied, he had a paper weight aimed at his head, along with a stapler, four pencils, a pen, two ink bottles, ten darts for the dartboard across from her office, and a few kunai, hira-shuriken, and bo-shuriken all in that order._

_He knocked at the door three times to see Yuffie in a stunning blue dress opening the door, and getting up on the balls of her feet and pulling him down by the neck to plant a kiss in his mouth. The shock of the event was enough to make him almost drop everything. "I was worried you wouldn't come…after what I did yesterday, I figured you'd have been angry with me."_

"_No, no, no, not at all. It's just that I was bothering you when you were rather busy. Whatever it was, I'm…"_

_Yuffie smiled at her husband before taking the white roses from his arms, and holding the materia in her hand. "I'm not letting you take the blame for something that was my fault Vince…so, I'm going to treat you to something I've managed to prepare on my own for today."_

_Bemusement was upon Vincent's face as he wondered about this dinner. "What's going on Yuffie?"_

"_Nothing…I have a surprise for you is all."_

_Before he could say anymore, Yuffie led him into the house by his left hand and sat him down at the table after putting the flowers in the vase—this place had not changed at all…although all the cats were looking at Vincent expectantly. Oh he knew what they were thinking…he liked cats, that's for sure, but that did not mean he was going to spoil them by bringing any mice or rats along into the house—oh the horror. Besides, Yuffie did not like that time when he released that bat in front of her, and so he made sure that not even a gerbil followed him._

_As he looked around, he began to wonder about his life thus far…he managed to repent for many of his sins…and Yuffie was the one who helped him find that path to redemption before he ultimately found his closure to everything that had been happening up to the point he fought with Omega. Yes, life has been getting better, although for some reason, he had a feeling that his joy would be rising even higher—perhaps he could go and speak to Yuffie about it…but before he could even get up, he found himself bumping into his wife, and catching two dishes in midair before they could fall to the floor with a splatter. "Are you all right?"_

"_I'm fine…it's just that it still surprises me how quick you are."_

_Vincent smiled and nodded at Yuffie before setting both dishes down and she ran back to the kitchen. "The Amaterasu-brand sakè as usual?"_

"_That would be lovely."_

_As he lifted up the covers for the dishes, Vincent had made a discovery about his wife he never thought possible—as judging from the smell, she was a rather good cook as well…no doubt so that she could sustain herself when she was out stealing materia from some poor, innocent soul. She was a much better cook than he was…and his mother taught him to cook for himself should she have a rather difficult patient to look after. Tonight's dinner was unadon with a side of tsukemono, as well as a small bowl of miso…a simple dinner, but that did not detract from the memories of his childhood when he still had his mother. His thoughts were interrupted by Yuffie entering the dining room with a tray with two cups suited for sakè and she was smiling as she put down the tray and planted another kiss on her husband._

"_Let's eat!"_

_As he added everything together while the two of them ate their dinner, he noted something must have happened with Yuffie to put her in such a good mood. Yes, something was different indeed—if they were still only friends, Vincent would have waited for Yuffie to open up and tell him what was going on, but because he was her husband, it would probably be a good idea to open up. As soon as he was done scooping in the last of the rice and wiping his mouth, he figured it would be a good time to ask her. "Yuffie, is there anything new you wish to share with me?"_

_The look on her face was that of being caught. "Vince, how are your senses since Chaos has been out of your body?"_

"_They're not as sharp as before, but they're still well above the human norm. Why do you ask?"_

_Yuffie pulled out of her seat, and walked towards Vincent with a smile on her face. The second she was close to him, she pulled his right hand towards her belly, and it was then that he felt it! It was being muffled by her body at work, but he felt something different pulsating within her. In order to confirm, he pulled Yuffie closer to his head, and placed his ear against her belly near the navel…what he heard caused him to widen his eyes and look up at Yuffie with a silent question on his face, as if to ask 'was I hearing what I think I'm hearing?'_

"_That's right Vinnie…you're going to be a daddy!"_

_The shock of the moment had hit him, and then the joy followed before Vincent initiated another kiss between his wife and himself and turning the kiss to her belly before placing his ear back to it while she held it in place for him to hear that which he heard the pulses of a life growing inside his wife…_

_

* * *

_

Present day…Time Until Vincent's life expires: 12 days, 4 months

The trip under the port of Wutai was a rather slow event…after managing to rent a sub, Vincent and Yuffie found that for that small moment, the sight of all those colorful fish swimming around in the ocean was worth that much in gil…such a beauty, as they saw all the coral under the water. Going even deeper, they saw more beauty in the blackness of the deep-sea cave they found as a hustle and bustle of bioluminescent lights danced around. Angler fish were waiting for their prey to wander towards their traps, tube worms were even staying near vents spewing natural oil in a cloudy consistency. Deeper into the cave, they noticed the flickering dance of lights…a closer inspection revealed it to be an underwater mako fountain contained in a large chamber…from the size of that formation, any sort of materia could be synthesized from that one large hunk.

So much beauty was seen under the waves, and people were missing it due to being busy—the most beautiful sight however was that of the mako fountain itself. It was a shame then that they had to leave, but they eventually had to. Yuffie on the other hand made sure that the captain of the submarine had been sworn on pain of death to never reveal the location of the fountain to anyone in exchange for permanent employment to the imperial family. Once the captain was out of sight, Vincent turned his attention to the solemn look on his wife's face. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine…it's just that…all this time, we had something really beautiful—something that was created in nature…and we miss it all because we're too busy to even take notice of it. On second thought, it's probably best nobody ever found it…otherwise it would have been stripped for materia and we'll never see such beauty again."

He nodded—oh he knew what she was thinking. "Agreed…this is probably a sight we should be saving for generations to come—perhaps you can take our daughter here one day…and then her daughter's daughter will come to see it…until the end of days when we are all united as a family."

Yuffie let out a slight laugh as she pulled Vincent to her. "Who knows? We'll probably even make it a sort of pilgrimage for every future generation to visit that place…I know I'll bring her there when she's old enough to appreciate it."

The couple then began their trek towards the city of Wutai. "Are you packed up Yuffie?"

"Yeah…and the parachuting gear we ordered had just arrived in the mail. We're only one dial away from Cid taking us to Nibelheim, and then we begin our trek up Mt. Nibel…what's so great up there anyway? Aside from the view of course."

"When I was a child growing up in Mideel, I heard stories from my father about a band of Da Chao monks from Wutai that travelled through his childhood home of Nibelheim at one point and they said that they were on a quest for enlightenment. They made it to the peak of Mt. Nibel, and came to realize that their perilous journey up to the top of the mountain was their ultimate test for enlightenment…and after that, they opened up a monastery there to keep meditating for life. I suppose that I've always wanted to go up there to see if that story was ever true."

"Maybe we'll see if it is, maybe we won't…we'll never know until we get there. By the way, did Reeve send us that portable ultrasound thingie yet?"

"He sent it over two weeks ago. It should be arriving by air mail in a couple of days now."

"That's good. I don't feel right about going up a mountain without knowing if our baby is going to be okay during the trek."

"Speaking of which, we still have a doctor's appointment to attend."

"Where else do you think we're heading? And besides, our little princess is not the only thing we have to check up on…we need to see if you've been slacking off on your training for that mountain climb."

"Oh dear, I dread to see the horrifying results."

Yuffie giggled, and leaped up lightly to kiss her husband on the cheek.

* * *

_**A/N: Hi, sorry for the slow update, but school is murder…I'd promise for a monthly update, because you all deserve such a good timeframe, but telecommunications is really difficult…fun, but difficult. By the way, I'm still taking girl names, so if you have a suggestion for naming Vincent and Yuffie's little princess, do feel free to submit your ideas would you kindly?**_

_**

* * *

**_

_**Songs Played:**_

"_**Ridley theme" from Metroid—the hunting trip**_

"_**Kansha" by RSP—Yuffie reveals that she's pregnant**_

"_**La Mer" by Charles Trenet—the underwater trip**_

_**

* * *

**_

_**Vocabulary and Culture notes:**_

_**.50 BMG—this is a big round…as you can imagine, this is not a regular round for a pistol; it was originally used for the M2 Browning Machine Gun (That's what BMG stands for), but nowadays it's mostly used for sniper rifles, although several machine guns also use this caliber, though they tend to fall under the category of 'heavy machine gun'.**_

_**Atlatl effect—anything that can be picked up in one hand can, has, and will be used as a throwing implement.**_

_**Hira-shuriken—this is the type of shuriken everyone is familiar with; it is a flat three- to four-pointed disc with blades, hence why it's called a ninja star.**_

_**Bo-shuriken—this is practically a throwing spike.**_

_**Amaterasu—the Shinto goddess of the sun, said to be the descendant of all the emperors.**_

_**Unadon—this is barbecued eel served in a rounded bowl of rice; this is a rather easy dish to make.**_

_**Tsukemono—Japanese-style pickled vegetables**_


	13. Rockin' Your Socks Off

_**A/N: A lot of music will be featured here; music with lyrics. I'm not certain about flashbacks anymore, but I'm fairly certain that we will be visiting dreamland with Yuffie more often as of this point. Do read and review would you kindly?

* * *

**_

Unknown place and location…

_Yuffie found herself looking up to the aftermath of that last dream…it was hard to get back up, especially since she was pinned to the floor by the shots she had taken. Apparently, she was continuing from the last dream she had of this scene…and when she saw the corpses of both Vincent and her daughter, she doubled over in a crying fit, and started sobbing into her hands. It was then that she saw a pair of clawed feet covered in form-fitting indigo feathers standing in front of her—she looked up to see the malevolent grin upon Chaos' pale blue face that he stole from Vincent as he looked down at her with red eyes…those beautiful red eyes he had also stolen from Vincent! Those beautiful pools of blood red she had fallen in love with, and he was mocking her with them! As a matter of fact, his whole naked indigo body was a twisted and beast-like mockery of her Vincent!_

"_That's right your majesty! Vincent's going to die, and there's nothing you can do about it…and then you're going to watch as your little girl dies with him! You shall lose your entire family, but you shall survive…and I would not have it any other way." It was then that Chaos began laughing evilly and Yuffie found herself sobbing in despair…

* * *

_

Real World…Somewhere in the air space near Nibelheim…

Time until Vincent's life expires: 2 days, 4 months…

Vincent looked into the sink…that red splotch of blood he coughed up in there was contrasting with the clean whiteness of the bowl, and on the countertop next to the sink was the bottle containing the prescribed medication he was to take to reduce the damage of his coughs. He didn't like those white pills…they tasted horrible and gave him cotton mouth, but they guaranteed a bit of respite from his condition. He still would cough from time to time, but at least it was a dry and much gentler cough instead of a throat-rending cough wet with his blood.

He unscrewed the top of the bottle, popped the pill in his mouth, and then unscrewed the nearby water bottle open to take a few gulps of it…it would not do for him to have cotton-mouth when he's going to be parachuting down to Nibelheim where apparently they could also find the finest wine in the world. According to the brochure, the world's top ten finest spirits were listed every year by their vintage, what sort of wine they are, and vineyard or brewery they are from. This year's top five hard drinks in Nibelheim from the lowest-ranked to highest are the "Haus Schneider" 1955 chardonnay worth around 5 thousand gil per bottle, "Chateau Monet" 1999 Champagne worth around 7 thousand gil per bottle, "Boris Cherdenko" 1967 vodka worth around 9 thousand gil per bottle, "Franz Schmitt" 1985 whiskey worth around 10 thousand gil per bottle, and finally, the "Francois St Pierre" 1895 syrah worth roughly 15 thousand gil per glass as the bottle itself is the few of its vintage left in existence—especially since the monastery that made the wine no longer exists due to a reported scandal with one of the monks…and the bottle itself is currently in the possession of a certain Shin-Ra in his new villa at the outskirts of town far away from Shin-Ra Manor.

Rufus had become quite a bit kinder in the years since Meteor…still every bit a cheapskate as his father, but kinder nonetheless…and with principles now. But even with his newfound sense of morality, Vincent doubted that Rufus would be kind enough to allow him to have a glass of "Francois St Pierre" so lightly…even if he were a dying man—and this is due to another trait he sees common in all the Shin-Ra men…they were fiercely protective of their exotic liquors. Suffice to say, this would be a bridge he'll cross when he gets there…right now, he has to spend time with Yuffie—and to make sure that the baby does not die on this endeavor.

Vincent had used the board before, and while he never did admit it, he found it to be a very fun ride. In his youth, he had done an extreme sport or two, but one thing he had always wanted to do was parachuting. The itinerary here would be that Yuffie would be strapped to him, and he would be the one controlling the parachute…they would land on the target outside of town. The next thing on his list of priorities would be to see if anyone else in Nibelheim had a bottle of "Francois St. Pierre" aside from Rufus. He inspected his attire—the parachuting suit was on, now all he had to do was to get his hands on that parachute…and to rouse Yuffie from her sleep. It seems that she has had nothing but nightmares as of late…he could tell because he could feel her heart rate go up…what could possibly be troubling her even in her sleep? And whatever it was that was causing her nightmares, it was draining on her—this was definitely not good for her, nor was it any good for their little princess. Maybe he should confront her about it—and comfort her while he was at it. Nobody deserved to have this sort of problem, least of all Yuffie…he'll find a way to help her out of this if it killed him.

* * *

Unknown time and location…

_Chaos was laughing maniacally…all hope was dead now…Vincent was dead, and so was their unnamed daughter…before she could let out another moan of sadness, she heard something tackle Chaos from out of nowhere. Yuffie lifted her head to see Galian Beast in a struggle with the other spirit…his tail lashed at the imposter, but he proved to be mightier as it appeared that Chaos was getting the upper hand until Death Gigas appeared from nowhere, and clocked him in the face with a left straight and he had to roll away before Hellmasker brought his chainsaw-like sword down on his throat. The three separate spirits did not let up on the attack—they were out to get their former colleague Chaos. Why, Yuffie, didn't know; but a part of her was enjoying the show as the great demon Chaos himself was being overtaken by Galian Beast, Death Gigas, and Hellmasker as they all worked in synch to fight the demon._

_Before long, Galian Beas saw an opening, and used his tail to trip up Chaos. This was done as if all three of them had been planning this from day one—as Death Gigas took advantage of Chaos landing on his back to bring his fists down upon Chaos' knees one at a time and smashing both patellae with his victim screaming in pain before he brought both of his hands up and smashed them down upon his victim's clavicles. Hellmasker then decided to add in his attack, and brought his chain-sword down on Chaos' sternum. Their victim was too tired and injured to fight back—on the one hand, Yuffie could not bear to watch that last attack as to her, it was the same as Vincent having his chest open._

_After Chaos was weakened, all three of the spirits that had just opposed him looked to each other, as if confirming if they were sure with the action they were about to perform. The nods they gave out confirmed it. Galian Beast, Hellmasker, and Death Gigas all looked towards Yuffie—the looks in their eyes told her that this would be the last time she sees them…they were saying good-bye silently to her. As she reached her hand out to tell them not to go, bright lights had glowed in their empty hands. She wondered what those lights were—but before she could think anymore on the matter, the three spirits lifted their light-carrying hands, and smashed them into the gaping hole in Chaos' chest at the same time, causing a bright flash and an explosion to engulf the entire area._

_Yuffie covered her eyes…

* * *

_

Real World…

When she opened them again, she saw Vincent sitting across from the bed they shared. The fact that he was asleep and in his parachuting suit must've meant that he was waiting for her…she simply smiled and started walking towards him before planting a kiss on his lips. It was then that she noted something strange about Vincent—sure, she had heard of people sleeping as if dead, but this was ridiculous…not to mention scary. She carefully lifted her finger under his nose, and felt not breathing. Yuffie's eyes widened as she then carefully reached a hand out and touched Vincent by the shoulder—shaking him awake.

It didn't work. This was definitely not funny! This time, she shook harder…still no response. Her fear overtook her as she ran to the intercom of their cabin, and fumbled in her terror before she finally pressed the button on the intercom. The desperation in her voice was clear and fast as she screamed into it. "SHERA GET THE FUCKING CRASH CART NOW!" She wasted no time…Yuffie moved to get Vincent to the floor, and started performing CPR on him…trying her hardest to get a pulse out of her husband.

After ten minutes of trying, the door to their cabin had opened, and in ran Shera with the crash cart. It was not long before she pulled out an epinephrine jab and injected it into the vein in Vincent's right arm. The tears in Yuffie's eyes "Vince?" Shera gently nudged her away with defibrillator paddles in her hands charged and cleared. Just as she was about to send the charge through his heart, she suddenly found herself screaming and throwing the defibrillator paddles away and over her shoulders in fear as she saw Vincent gasp for air and sit back up with a single jolt…her shock had subsided as she watched Vincent breathe trying to get his breath back. Yuffie wasted no time in getting to him, and wrapping her arms around his neck and sobbing into his shoulder.

"Vincent, I don't think you should be making this jump or making that climb…I'll tell Cid to land you two in Nibelheim."

"Shera, if you were about to die, and there was nothing to save you, what would you have done?"

"I'm telling you this for your own sake…and for Yuffie's. You don't have a lot of time left, I'm not denying that, and I'm not saying that you should not continue on with this list. But with my training in first aid and trauma care, I feel this jump could exacerbate your condition and kill you sooner…and I'm fairly certain that the climb will do a number on you, thus cutting down the quality time you should most definitely be spending with Yuffie. So please, I'm asking…no, I'm begging you to not go through with this jump, and definitely advising against the mountain climb."

Vincent knew that Shera spoke out of sincerity. Her premonition was what saved Cid's life at the cost of his dream of going into space for the first time. As he looked on at the sobbing form of Yuffie, he considered what she had said as he stroked his hand through her hair to comfort her—perhaps she was right. Luckily, he had another idea he had other things he wanted to do before dying. "Yuffie, don't worry, I'm all right for now. Let's just go pay Rufus that visit. I may not be able to do two things on my list now, but that does not mean I do not have another thing I want to do…but we are going to have to call up everybody first."

Yuffie looked back up at Vincent…curiosity had replaced her sadness and her fear of almost losing him so soon. "Why, what do you have planned?"

"Something I've had an idea for when I spotted that piano Tifa bought."

It was then that the realization had dawned upon her that Yuffie's eyes widened with surprise. "Are you going to do what I think you're going to do?"

"Of course, hence why I am looking to invite everyone to the Golden Saucer a while from now. I plan to play something for them that I had wanted to play on that night before my…condition. And besides, I never did finish that toast for Tifa, and so I might as well finish it off while I'm at it."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive…I might as well play one more song before it is my time to go. Shera, do you think you can ask Cid if he would mind if I practiced here?"

"I'll see what I can do…although I think the galley is a good place for you to practice as there is already a piano there"

"Thank-you so much. I'm only sorry if we're…"

"Vincent, you and Yuffie are not troubling us in the slightest. We're just glad that you two in some way."

* * *

Flashback…roughly 3 weeks ago…

_Vincent was walking around the mall—Yuffie would be meeting him here soon so that the two of them would go shopping discretely for baby clothes for their little princess. He still had a few minutes to wait before she would come and see him—he had almost four months left, what was four minutes to him? As he continued to walk, he noted a hand-carved mahogany grand piano sitting unattended on a podium dead center in the mall. Vincent looked left and right…it didn't look like anybody was working on this area, and it didn't look like anyone cared at the moment. Perhaps he could get warmed up before he leaves for Nibelheim…after all, practice makes perfect._

_With that thought on mind, he walked up to the podium, and sat at the seat for the piano. As he sat there, Vincent began to contemplate on what exactly he should play…and then he began to see images of the past he had with Cloud…the drinks he would share with Tifa, Cid, and Barrett…the philosophical discussions he'd had with Nanaki…the collaboration he had with Reeve and Rufus for the Zeus sniper rifle prototype and the sense of connection they had when they built the gun…the time he spent with the children and Shelke…and finally, his most important memories; his married life and his love with Yuffie…from that moment, Vincent knew what song to play, and because he was warming up, and nobody seemed to care at the moment, he may as well sing along…

* * *

_

**What would you think if I sang out of tune,****  
****Would you stand up and walk out on me?****  
****Lend me your ears and I'll sing you a song****  
****And I'll try not to sing out of key.**

**Oh, I get by with a little help from my friends****  
****Mm, I get high with a little help from my friends****  
****Mm, gonna try with a little help from my friends**

**What do I do when my love is away****  
****(Does it worry you to be alone?)****  
****How do I feel by the end of the day,****  
****(Are you sad because you're on your own?)**

**No, I get by with a little help from my friends****  
****Mm, I get high with a little help from my friends****  
****Mm, gonna try with a little help from my friends**

**Do you need anybody****  
****I need somebody to love****  
****Could it be anybody****  
****I want somebody to love.**

**Would you believe in a love at first sight****  
****Yes, I'm certain that it happens all the time****  
****What do you see when you turn out the light****  
****I can't tell you but I know it's mine,**

**Oh, I get by with a little help from my friends****  
****Mm, I get high with a little help from my friends****  
****Mm, gonna try with a little help from my friends**

**Do you need anybody****  
****I just need someone to love****  
****Could it be anybody****  
****I want somebody to love.**

**Oh, I get by with a little help from my friends****  
****With a little help from my friends.

* * *

**_  
_

_By the time he was finished with the song, Vincent was surprised when heard clapping all around him…and it was then that he realized that the microphone was near his mouth all along…but his surprise upon realizing that he had just performed in front of a lot of people in his warm-up was nothing compared to the realization that Yuffie was right behind him, and listening on the song._

"_You never told me that you also sang."_

"_This is actually the first time I've ever sung in front of anybody."_

"_I'll forgive you for making a scene if you do something for me."_

_The playful tone in his voice was clear in her ears. "Oh dear…I wonder what it is…"_

_It was then that she pulled him into a kiss and whispered into his ear. "You will sing for me personally…before we even think of getting nasty, I want you to sing in that voice while we're getting naked."_

_Oh he knew what she was talking about…and judging from the reaction he got from his wife, Vincent knew that he was going to be singing for her to pay for any hope of having hot sex with her…although he should still be careful with her…Yuffie was in fact carrying his baby, and it would not do for either of them to lose their princess. "You have yourself a deal then missy. I look forward to your offer." With that, the two of them left the area and started shopping for gifts for their yet-to-be-named little girl…

* * *

_

Flashback End…

Time until Vincent's Life Expires: 28 days, 3 months

Rufus sat around in his house looking at Vincent and Yuffie with an incredulous look in his eyes…it was then that the Shin-Ra head had a sort of look on his face that suggested that he did not like what his friend was asking. "I'm sorry Vincent, but I can't let you have a sip," he began, "the reason for this is because the Francois St Pierre is not an easy wine to come across…especially of this particular vintage. Is there any other way I can repay you for testing out the Zeus for us?"

The cat-ate-the-canary smile on Vincent and Yuffie's face was disturbing to say the least. While the look was natural on the latter, to think that the former Turk was even capable of such an expression actually frightened Rufus. "I figured you'd say that. That's why I am planning to tell you that you and the Turks are going to be invited to a very secret place I know of. Should you accept my offer, then that will be that…either way, I will not give up until you let me have a sip."

The look of worry in Rufus' face was replaced with that of clean confidence—as if he were going to win something. "You must be very confident if you think you can convince me to let you have a glass of the 1895 Francois St. Pierre using a verbal invitation. Prove me wrong."

"You asked for it…" With that, Vincent stood up, and walked towards the inlaid black lacquer grand piano that was kept in the room living room. As soon as he found the piano, he seated himself at the keys, and found the best song to help him out…he thought back on the time he spent with Lucrecia, and the amount of love he had for her before he met Yuffie and discovered true love…Yuffie knew who this song was addressed to, and kept silent out of respect for her husband…

* * *

**There was a time****  
****When I was so broken hearted****  
****Love wasn't much of a friend of mine****  
****The tables have turned, yeah****  
****Cause me and them ways have parted****  
****That kind of love was the killin' kind****  
****Now listen****  
****All I want is someone I can't resist****  
****I know all I need to know by the way that I got kissed**

**I was cryin' when I met you****  
****Now I'm tryin' to forget you****  
****Love is sweet misery****  
****I was cryin' just to get you****  
****Now I'm dyin' Ôcause I let you****  
****Do what you do - down on me**

**Now there's not even breathin' room****  
****Between pleasure and pain****  
****Yeah you cry when we're makin' love****  
****Must be one and the same**

**It's down on me****  
****Yeah I got to tell you one thing****  
****It's been on my mind****  
****Girl I gotta say****  
****We're partners in crime****  
****You got that certain something****  
****What you give to me****  
****Takes my breath away****  
****Now the word out on the street****  
****Is the devil's in your kiss****  
****If our love goes up in flames****  
****It's a fire I can't resist**

**I was cryin' when I met you****  
****Now I'm tryin' to forget you****  
****Your love is sweet misery****  
****I was cryin' just to get you****  
****Now I'm dyin' cause I let you****  
****Do what you do to me**

**Cause what you got inside****  
****Ain't where your love should stay****  
****Yeah, our love, sweet love, ain't love****  
****If you give your heart away**

**I was cryin' when I met you****  
****Now I'm tryin' to forget you****  
****Your love is sweet misery****  
****I was cryin' just to get you****  
****Now I'm dyin' just to let you****  
****Do what you do what you do down to me, baby, baby, baby**

**I was cryin' when I met you****  
****Now I'm tryin' to forget you****  
****Your love is sweet misery****  
****I was cryin' when I met you****  
****Now I'm dyin' cause I let you****  
****Do what you do down to , down to, down to, down to****  
****I was cryin' when I met you****  
****Now I'm dyin' to forget you****  
****Your love is sweet****  
****I was cryin' when I met you

* * *

****  
**

By the time that Vincent was finished with the song, he knew that he had sealed the deal…because he knew that Rufus was a music fan. And because he actually poured much of himself into the song enough to actually sing along, he knew that this was a sure-kill. There was no way that Rufus would refuse him. As soon as he turned to Rufus, he noted that the younger man merely stared at Vincent with his jaw hanging. The mesmerized look in his face did not help matters any. Before long, only three words left Rufus' mouth: "Wait right here."

Within three minutes, Rufus had returned with a green wine bottle and two wine glasses. Rufus sat down and started filling the glasses. "Consider this as me sealing the deal with your invitation. Be sure to savor it Vincent, as I've heard that this is the last bottle of its vintage left." Vincent lifted his glass and toasted Rufus before the two of them downed their portions…the brochure did not do this wine justice. In the world of hard drinks, this was king of all red wines, especially for a syrah! The wine had a minty flavor from being aged in a pine barrel mixed in with cinnamon, hints of blackberry, black currant, and blueberry with a definite flavor of apple.

* * *

_**A/N: Kudos to and for the lyrics. Last time I used musical lyrics as part of the story, I tended to favor Queen…I'm planning to add a little more Beatles and Aerosmith this time (I rather like classic rock from the 60's to 80's).

* * *

**_

_**Songs Played:**_

"_**With A Little Help From My Friends" by The Beatles—Vincent gets warmed up in the mall**_

"_**Cryin'" by Aerosmith—Vincent convinces Rufus

* * *

**_

_**Vocabulary and Culture notes:**_

_**Patella—the plural form is patellae, these are your kneecaps.**_

_**Clavicle—the frontal bone of your shoulder…the back of your shoulder is the scapula.**_

_**Sternum—this is the bone directly in the middle of your chest; with bits of cartilage attached to it, it holds your rib cage together.**_


	14. The Completed Lists

_**A/N: As an early Christmas gift to all my loyal readers. As a warning though, there will be lemons here, so if you are offended, then you may skip the beginning here...all I ask is that if anyone wishes to flame me at any point in this story without a valid reason, that you burn in hell while being raped by the demons down there. The time of Vincent's death and the end of the story is at hand…soon, he will be visiting Dr. Edwards again to die. I know it's sad, but all the same, do read and review would you kindly?

* * *

**_

Somewhere in Gongaga…

Time until Vincent's life expires: 21 days, 3 months

The Wise Titan was the oldest tree in the world—it was said to have been grown on the day that Gaia was born, and it still remains the oldest non-redwood tree in the world. It was said in days of yore that this tree was the site of an ancient shrine that the Cetra venerated before they disappeared from the face of the world…although Yuffie and Vincent sadly knew that the Cetra line had died with Aeris on their first journey together to save the world. They sat at the roots of the Wise Titan, looking up at the branches, decorated with holy wards and what appeared to be glyphs that the Cetra had written with. It was no wonder that this was sacred ground—the whole area was pure. There was nothing but silence—birds only sang as if in reverie…the beasts nearby dare not come here to make any noise…it was as if this tree and everything around it was holy even to the animals, and they paid it respect as if it were a king of some sort due to the inviting white glow that surrounded the tree.

It was also said that the Wise Titan could grant wishes to those who gazed upon the stars in its presence…such was the legendary power of the world's largest tree in the oak family…which was exactly what Yuffie and Vincent were doing at the moment. Yuffie sat in between Vincent's legs, the both of them looking up at the night sky with their wishes going upon the night sky. "Have you made your wish yet Vinnie?"

"I figured since I'm dying, I may as well make one last plea to anyone listening out there."

"Well, what was the wish?"

"That I would live long enough to at least see our daughter grow up to be every bit as beautiful as her mother."

Yuffie was silent for a moment as she rubbed her hand upon her child-swollen belly—this was something she also wanted. "I wished that I could have you in my arms forever, and that we'll be a happy family together with our little princess."

A sigh left Vincent's lips. "One of these days Yuffie, maybe we'll be together as a family…and when your time comes, we'll be together as husband and wife again even if it is for but a moment. I only hope that when it is our time to reincarnate, that we would meet again in the same life as lovers."

"Maybe…someday…"

"You do realize that we are alone in this part of the forest?"

The playfulness in her voice was clear. "Vincent, we can't! This is holy ground!"

"I have heard a story that this area was so safe and sacred to all living beings that some of the nearby animal tribes looking for a permanent alliance to mix in their family would come here on a full moon where a particular ritual would take place. This ritual was a sort of politically arranged marriage where the alpha male and the alpha female of each animal tribe of the same species would come here when they've agreed to the terms of whatever alliance they have decided to form. If they do not agree, then they do not bother coming—for the moment they set foot in this sacred area, not even hunting and harmful words are allowed. Once they step foot into the area, the deal is sealed—and the alpha male and the alpha female of their respective tribes make sincere love to each other with the tree as witness to their agreement to the alliance…hence why this tree is also known as the 'Tree of Love', the 'Tree of Unity', the 'Peace-bringer', and even 'Negotiator'."

Yuffie started to hug closer to Vincent, nuzzling her face into his chest. Her body temperature increasing as the next few words left his lips while his hands found their way to her ass. His voice was very soothing as he whispered near her ear while massaging both sides slowly. "Do you want to help me to renew my alliance with you your majesty?"

Her resistance was slowly starting to fade away. "We can't…not while there's a chance that a deer could be watching."

"My nose is still very sensitive…I can smell that you are reluctant to say 'no'…that as I am touching you, you really want to say 'yes' to that prospect…there are no deer here and neither are any of Cid's more lecherous crewmen…nor do we have to worry about Cid and or Shera walking in on us while we are maintaining our alliance. And so you know…I'll be very gentle."

Those last four words were enough for Yuffie to jump up slightly to catch Vincent's neck in a passionate kiss. It seemed that now was a good time for the two of them to do this—there may not be much of a chance to…maintain their alliance in the future. Soon, the two of them will be in a hospital—Yuffie to bring a child into this life and Vincent to be there for her before he leaves it. The point of the whole idea of the list was to make exceptionally good memories before Vincent dies…he may as well share another memory of love and passion with his wife. He lowered his head in front of hers and locked lips with her—the taste of all strange combinations of things that Yuffie had been eating in her pregnancy had been remaining in her mouth for some time now…good thing that the sedative that Reeve handed to her was a nutrient that was not harmful to the baby, especially given her condition of motion sickness; at least he would not have to taste the vomit in her mouth as strongly. Fried watermelon, chocolate-dipped pickles, apples dipped in brown gravy, even turnip soaked in vinegar that had been soaking in the juices from a wasabi root…the latter of which actually made sense to him. But aside from that, he could also taste the natural sweetness of her mouth, only amplified by her pregnancy in his opinion.

It was clear that neither of them could hold back any longer…and this was especially true with Vincent as his body temperature had risen to match with the heat that was generated by Yuffie's body. Vincent reached out to the green jacket and started unbuttoning the article of clothing while Yuffie took to the zipper on the back of her husband's leather jumpsuit—the same he had worn when he was out fighting DEEPGROUND. His surprise came however when he found out that Yuffie was not wearing a bra. His hands were off of her breasts for that moment, and taking advantage of his surprise, Yuffie pulled the sleeves off of her husband—Vincent had enough time to get over his shock to gently push the sleeves off her shoulders before soft breasts and a child-swollen belly gently pressed against his well-sculpted abdominal muscles. As he removed her stretchy pregnancy pants, he found to his surprise and pleasure that Yuffie was also not wearing her panties. It would not be long until Vincent began to embrace her in his arms, and he felt the pulse of life coming from her belly against his abs, as well as her occasional kicking…he remembered the time he was there for their little princess' first kick…and he remembered the comment Yuffie had on that moment, and her exact words were "She's gonna be every bit as bouncy as me."

As soon as he removed the pants off of his wife, Vincent briefly broke the kiss and turned away from Yuffie to reach into his pack to reveal a bottle of orange-scented oil in the bag he brought with them, and wiped both his hands on the lubricant before he started massaging every curve of his wife with a firm hand and going so far as to lubricate in between her toes—and the soles of her feet. Once he saw that Yuffie was shiny and slick with the oil, he made a move to pull her body closer to his by her neck before he gently pushed her backwards onto the soft earth and swallowing in her moans as he continued kissing Yuffie…and moving his hand from her neck, he grazed his palm in the valley between her breasts, climbed up and then down the hill containing their pretty little girl and causing a pleasured shudder to conduct more electricity from ecstasy up Yuffie's back as he touched her navel, continuing its journey down to almost reach her clit before retracing its trip back up to her neck. With each repeat of the movements of his hand, Yuffie's breath had quickened, and her moans came more often…and after almost fifteen trips on the path it had been taking, the hand found its way to her clit, and he began massaging it in a clockwise direction twice, then reversing the direction four times—it became a process of wash-rinse-repeat ten times before he extended two of his fingers over her nether-regions, moving them back and forth five times before bringing them into her vagina.

Yuffie was not simply lying there on the ground doing nothing…from the very beginning of locking lips with Vincent, she had been using one arm to lock his head onto hers—she could taste the flavor of spice in his mouth even though it was starting to fade and become replaced with a more watered-down version of the flavor she loved of him. It was as though the fact that he was dying was taking away his flavor of life. She moved to use her free arm to trace a circle around his left pectoral muscle before tracing her palm all the way down on his torso, feeling the pits and the ripples of muscles as she moved them downwards, eventually finding her target. It was much hotter than the rest of his body—not so much now because they were still in the game of foreplay, but that was why a partner was normally needed while actually performing the act of sex. She found her hand wrapped around the rod of flesh, and tightened her grip as she began to stroke it rather gently. The kiss they were locked in made it easier for her to get him harder, and it wasn't long until she started accelerating her stroking…turning the game of foreplay into a game of chicken—whomever came first was the loser, and the winner was allowed to take initiative in order to prepare for the actual deed of making love. As Yuffie accelerated the speed of her stroking, she noted that Vincent was struggling to keep the rate of his fingers pumping into her nether-regions constant. It wasn't long now…and Yuffie's aggression had won her this game of chicken! Now she got the pleasure of taking his rod into her mouth, and beginning the blowjob…her tongue technique had improved over the years—she figured since Vincent enjoyed torturing her by moving slowly before making her beg him to go faster, a bit of karmic retribution was in order…as she stroked his manhood with her lips and her tongue ever-so slowly causing Vincent to groan, although she could've sworn she heard him whispering the word 'faster' as she pumped the rod in and out of her mouth.

After almost eight minutes of stroking Vincent finally came…and Yuffie took a moment to pleasure herself by covering herself in the oil to ensure that she could have an easier time of rubbing every part of her body against that finely sculpted torso of her husband. She then positioned herself over Vincent's manhood, and then impaled herself upon it…letting out a moan and then heaving a sigh as she adjusted herself to fit his size—she would not tighten herself until the time was right. Her hips ground against his gently and slowly, rubbing her breasts and her belly against the rise and fall within his muscles before pulling herself off, and then she repeated the motion like a broom sweeping along the floor—only moving forward as she ground against him. The next move was a 180-degree turn around the fleshy rod as she started bouncing up and down.

"Faster…"

At this point, Yuffie lifted up both of Vincent's legs before she sped up her ministrations…

"Faster…"

She could tell he was getting close…and in response, she started tightening around him while pumping her hips faster…

"Yuffie…I'm getting close…"

Upon hearing those words, she knew that it was now or never! She finished off by slamming her hips downwards as her head flung backwards from the pleasure.

"YUFFIE!"

"VINCENT!"

She felt the pulse of Vincent fire several spurts into her…two in succession; and the third and last one sending out the hardest of pulse of all. Weakened by her orgasm, Yuffie collapsed and fell backwards onto Vincent, allowing his right hand to gently snake up between her breasts and catching one of them in his hand before he started massaging it, and then allowing his left hand to travel downwards to her belly—massaging the watermelon-sized lump of flesh containing their daughter in a circular motion as the two of them felt the occasional kicks from their little princess.

Vincent moved to stroke Yuffie's hair ever so softly. "You know…we could get arrested for this…after all, we technically had sex in front of our little girl…"

"Mmm…well you could just not tell anyone that we did it…"

"Or I could rat us both out, and then we'll be locked in the same cell…where I can be the only one to treat you proper."

"Ooh…kinky…me like!"

The two of them looked up at the stars and the moon…in this part of the world you can actually see them clearer than anywhere else if you were not in space, and that is because this area of the world is pollution-free. Vincent knew that this was probably another sight he may not get to see before he dies…and it compared to the firefly show he attended with Yuffie a few days prior to leaving Wutai. This view was beautiful, and so he kept watch until his eyes felt heavy…and he fell asleep with Yuffie in his embrace…

Cid and Shera had followed this couple silently…initially they were going to watch quietly, but then they saw the two of them getting hot and heavy, and so they decided to leave for but a moment so that the two of them could have privacy. It was no doubt that Vincent knew that they were following him and his wife, and the sound of him and Yuffie having sex even though she was pregnant made Cid wonder why he hadn't thought of it before. Of course his musings were quashed when he noted Shera's glare—it was then that he was reminded of why he never even tried…when women get pregnant, they get unpredictable. His voice was a whisper. "Okay, woman…I fucking get it…sheesh, I knew those two were in love from day one, but judging from their cries, I just didn't know that they were _**THIS**_ hot…"

The second she turned her head, Shera blushed to herself—oh the dirty thoughts that were running through her head at the moment…her nerves were doing the best they could to prevent a nosebleed at the memory of what she heard. But all in all, she knew what had to be done. She pulled out the blanket, and started walking out of the clearing to cover the two lovers…crying silent tears. Once her work was done, she went to Cid who comforted her on their way back to the airship named after her…and Cid could not blame her because he too was on the verge of tears, as Vincent didn't have much longer to live.

* * *

Unknown time and location…

_He was falling, and no sooner than he felt that sensation, he looked around himself…white…white…there was nothing but white all around him as he noticed that he was slowly spinning towards his right side in the middle of a freefall. What was going on? The only thing Vincent noticed strange about himself was that he was missing his body from his trunk and below…all that was left now was his chest, his arms, and his head, all clothed in the way he was when he was out pursuing DEEPGROUND down to his beloved red cape. Perhaps this was the rate at which his soul was deteriorating because he did not go to see a shaman to help himself…and it was shown as he was losing more and more of his body at a steady rate._

_As he thought back to all the times he had with his friends…no, his family, he began to wonder what life would have been like if he had not suffered from this condition…the times he'd be missing with Yuffie…and then he also realized that he would be missing his daughter's first steps, her first word, being there to threaten her potential boyfriends with his death glare that he would be teaching her, and even teaching her how to hold a gun…so many things he wished he could do with his daughter and all the happiness he'd promised give Yuffie on the day of their marriage. However, his thoughts were interrupted as he found himself landing face-first in the middle of a green field with many flowers. He gathered what strength was left in his body, and lifted himself up on his arms to see a pair of legs in close proximity to each other before him…one pair of legs was wearing an indigo pair of tied BDU pants and black leather boots, while the other pair were feminine and exposed wearing a pair of brown leather boots and a pink dress. Oh he knew who these feminine legs belonged to…and judging by the black-haired man with blue eyes embracing her, Vincent put two-and-two together in that very instant upon making eye contact with him. He knew who they were…especially the woman having a look of sadness in those beautiful green eyes of hers for him…oh how could anybody forget her, even if she looked like she was about to cry…_

"_You're back."

* * *

_

Golden Saucer, Backstage in the "Lady of the Night"…

Time Until Vincent's Life Expires: 5 Days, 2 Months

The "Lady of the Night" had gone through several changes since he was last here—one of which was the addition of a stage as many of the patrons loved music…sometimes rock bands were invited into the club, sometimes it was a talent show for prospective bands looking to make a breakthrough. Tonight however, was a piano concert that Vincent had signed up for shortly after his heart stopped. In the time he had spent between here and Gongaga, he had been rehearsing nonstop. Vincent looked outside the curtain to see his friends on the other side…this would be the first time he would be performing in front of them, although Rufus, Cid, and Shera had been given a preview of what to expect from his playing, and Yuffie had heard him play before.

Luckily, Rufus was a member even though he did not visit often. Cloud and the others on the other hand, were given membership to the club after swearing to secrecy that nobody else would know of this place. He made sure that they all knew the password, and so one by one, he noted that all of his friends were in attendance—the only ones not getting any alcohol tonight would be Tifa, Yuffie, Denzel, Marlene, and most probably Nanaki. Yes, they are all watching, and so he may as well play one more song before he dies…and he shall play with all of his soul. With that on mind, he walked on out to the microphone…

All of AVALANCHE looked out at the stage…it seemed that Vincent had gathered them all for a little get-together, even inviting the kids. "Where is Vincent?" asked Cloud, "He said he had a surprise for us here." Cloud and Barrett knew of this club by reputation—it was a place where normally only the rich and famous would come. The question on their mind however was 'How is it that Vincent is a member?' "He'll be here," said Yuffie, "he wouldn't leave us hanging after all."

As if on cue, the spotlight turned to a movement in the curtains. There, in a black suit was Vincent walking in all of his glory—paler due to the fact that he was dying, but still no less beautiful in the eyes of many women. His steps carried him regally to the microphone before he stopped and pulled it off the stand…

The pressure of speaking out in public was there—he had handled terrorists before, and maybe even a few evil dictators, but nothing terrified him more than speaking or even performing in public. It was fortunate that he mastered his fear of performing long ago when his father took him here to practice on the piano. In his hand was a glass of "Chateau de St Sang" 1997 merlot. "I thank you ladies and gentlemen for being here tonight. Since I am here, I may as well make a toast to two of my friends in AVALANCHE, all of whom are in attendance along with President Shin-Ra himself. I am sorry to the two of you if I am repeating this, as I feel like I owe you to at least the honor of finishing my toast to you on the eve of announcing the conception of your beautiful twins. To Cloud Strife, I wish you a long and happy future with Tifa at your side, and two new lives which you shall be bringing into this world. To you, Tifa Lockheart, I wish you a full life with your family—you have been a mother to many and so to honor all mothers around the world, I shall be playing this song in honor of you Tifa…and also in honor of my mother." With that, Vincent raised his glass, and downed its contents before sitting at the seat of the grand piano.

The second he started hitting keys, everyone was silent—nobody was disturbing him. The tunes he played had truly struck a chord in everyone who listened…upon hearing the song, the entire audience had begun having beautiful memories of simpler times; times for some when their families were whole, and especially times when at least their mothers were around. Yuffie knew that this was the same song he played long ago when they were last here in the Golden Saucer, but even then, it brought her back to all the good times she had when her mother was still alive. Tifa on the other hand, was quite moved by this song…whoever Vincent's mother was, she must have been as beautiful on the inside as she was outside while she was alive due to the sort of melancholy tone he was playing in—it inspired her to be a good mother and a good wife. Once the song ended, everyone clapped…this was a good song indeed.

* * *

Flashback…roughly 25 days ago…

_Yuffie had been here once or twice before with Vincent…to think that this woman once had the heart of her husband was actually very believable, as she could see why she was able to do so very easily. Still, despite her utter hatred for this woman, she had a list to complete, while Vincent was preparing for completing his revised list. Looking on at the sight before her, she knew that Lucrecia Crescent was a true beauty in every sense of the word, putting her on tier with both Aeris and Tifa, and it was forever immortalized by the crystallized mako that she was entombed in._

"_Yuffie Kisaragi," the words were spoken to her telepathically—Yuffie could hear anything that Lucrecia would try to say due to achieving a clear channel of reception with her spiritual partner, "a pleasure to actually meet you in person. I don't suppose you're here to curse my very existence are you? I wouldn't blame you for that…I deserve far worse for what I've done to Sephiroth, and especially to Vincent."_

"_I suppose you're right Lucrecia…from the moment I heard of what you've done, I've been seething for everything that's happened…you broke Vincent's heart, and worse, you injected yourself with JENOVA cells which would later drive him mad. But at the same time, I can't bring myself to hate you because if it weren't for you, I wouldn't have met Vincent…I wouldn't have been able to fix his broken heart that you left him with…and most of all, if it weren't for you, I wouldn't have fallen in love with him, even if he is dying now."_

_The tone that Lucrecia used was one of sadness. "I know. It won't be long until it is time for him to die…"_

"_How did you know?"_

"_A certain flower we know of had come and told me of his plight. I'm only sorry that she had to come and tell me…and that I lied to Hojo that Sephiroth was his son…I feel that had I the courage to tell Vincent about Sephiroth, if I had the sense or at least the morality in me to listen to Vincent in the first place, none of this would have happened—I could have died happily with Vincent knowing that our son has grown up happy and proper with a loving family that had taken good care of him. I suppose I feel that I still owe Sephiroth the real love of a mother just as Vincent feels that he owes him bonds as a father. It doesn't matter though…it would seem that now I will get a chance to at least be reunited with our son…"_

"_What do you mean?"_

"_What Vincent doesn't know is that because I still have a lot of love for him, my lifeline is tied to his. The moment that he dies is the moment that I would die as well…thus freeing me from the Mako I am trapped in. Once I am free, I intend to make it up to Sephiroth for everything I've done to him—my only regret is that once he dies, I will not be able to do the same for him, as his entire soul would be consumed by the void that is eating away at it…and every day, more of his soul will be devoured until even his life is sapped away, and when that happens, he cannot pass into the Lifestream…and then your cycle of Samsara will not take place as there is no soul to reincarnate."_

"_Is it really that hopeless for him?"_

"_Unfortunately so…there is no way to save him…but I will tell you this; although his soul will be devoured completely, some things have been saved."_

"_What do you mean?"_

"_That is something I cannot explain to you. You'll have to meet the flower-girl again to completely understand what it is that is going to happen."_

"_Why not just tell me?"_

"_It is too terrible to tell you what it is…however I will say that you'll understand when you see her again."

* * *

_

Present Time…

Twenty other pianists have played so far, and it is Vincent who gets to play the last song of the recital. After seeing the lady walk into the curtain, he made sure to get his sheet ready—he checked to make sure that all the pages were there, and once done, he walked out onto the stage and bowed before sitting back down on the piano. "Thank-you ladies and gentlemen…you have been most kind. My next song will go to all of AVALANCHE…in honor of one we have all loved, and shall never forget. In addition to the last song, this was to be played on the anniversary of AVALANCHE's victory during the Crisis in the Sky. And so this song is dedicated to Miss Aeris Gainsborough…may you forever rest in peace."

As he played, the image that he was portraying throughout the song was clear…it brought back memories of Aeris when she was alive to all members of AVALANCHE…Elmyra however, was the one most in tears as this was her daughter that he was playing for, as the music played on the piano brought back memories of happier times she had shared with Aeris. This was the first time that Yuffie had heard this song, and it brought tears to her eyes that she would never see her sister-figure in the group again until her time came, as she remembered all the times that she was there for her up until the point where everyone lost her a while after finding Vincent…and she especially cried, because were it not for her meddling with some assistance from Tifa, Yuffie would not have taken the initiative to pursue Vincent's affections…were it not for Aeris, she would not be married to the man of her dreams. Tifa noticed that Yuffie was already crying, and held her hand to reassure her friend…as she was not the only one who lost a sister-figure. However, Vincent was especially moved to tears because he was unable to save such a pure soul—a soul that had given so much to her friends and asked for so little. She was a person she would never forget as long as he lived.

The song had ended with many people in tears…they had the feeling that this song was in memory of a long-lost friend. It wasn't long until Vincent stood up and bowed before the audience. However, just as he was about to leave, he heard the crowd crying something out…something like "Encore!" He turned and faced the crowd again—they were calling him out for an encore performance…even everyone from AVALANCHE had called it up. Oh he knew the song he wanted to play now…and so he got back onto the seat, and pulled the microphone to his lips.

"Ladies and gentlemen, thank-you for giving me the opportunity to play one more song…I was hoping to close my act with that last song, but since you all want more, I suppose I should oblige. It was my dream to become a professional pianist…funny how life takes you places you never thought you'd go…in any case, this song has been the first one I learned to truly master, and it was a song that I really sang to. I am not certain as to how well I remember the song, but I shall do my best. To you, Yuffie Kisaragi, I shall play this song and close this show…because with you and the other members in AVALANCHE, I really learned the value of family…and because of this, I don't want to miss a thing…which happens to be the title of the song. And so, without further ado, I shall play this classic by Aerosmith for you as my way of saying 'goodbye'." Upon hearing those final words, the crowd had died down, allowing Vincent to pour his entire soul into playing the song…and as he was giving it his all, he may as well sing along…

* * *

I could stay awake just to hear you breathing  
Watch you smile while you are sleeping  
While you're far away and dreaming  
I could spend my life in this sweet surrender  
I could stay lost in this moment forever  
Where every moment spent with you is a moment I treasure

Don't wanna close my eyes, I don't wanna fall asleep  
'Cause I'd miss you baby and I don't wanna miss a thing  
'Cause even when I dream of you the sweetest dream would never do  
I'd still miss you baby and I don't want to miss a thing

Lying close to you feeling your heart beating  
And I'm wondering what you're dreaming  
Wondering if it's me you're seeing  
Then I kiss your eyes and thank God we're together  
I just wanna stay with you in this moment forever, forever and ever

I don't wanna close my eyes, I don't wanna fall asleep  
'Cause I'd miss you baby and I don't wanna miss a thing  
'Cause even when I dream of you the sweetest dream would never do  
I'd still miss you baby and I don't want to miss a thing

I don't wanna miss one smile, I don't wanna miss one kiss  
I just wanna be with you, right here with you, just like this  
I just want to hold you close, feel your heart so close to mine  
And just stay here in this moment for all the rest of time

Don't wanna close my eyes, don't wanna fall asleep  
'Cause I'd miss you baby and I don't wanna miss a thing  
'Cause even when I dream of you the sweetest dream would never do  
I'd still miss you baby and I don't want to miss a thing

I don't wanna close my eyes, I don't wanna fall asleep  
'Cause I'd miss you baby and I don't wanna miss a thing  
'Cause even when I dream of you the sweetest dream would never do  
I'd still miss you baby and I don't want to miss a thing

I don't wanna close my eyes, I don't wanna fall asleep  
Yeah, I don't wanna miss a thing

* * *

The second the song was over, Vincent looked to the crowd…their eyes were wide, and their jaws were hanging. With a heavy sigh, Vincent got up, and turned to finally leave—perhaps he was really rusty on the song…the second he touched a hand on the curtain, he then heard the sounds of clapping. At first, it was light, and then it became heavier and more rapid—it seemed that people really loved his playing. With that thought in mind, Vincent turned to the crowd and bowed respectfully. Both he and Yuffie had finished their lists—but it was his apprehension as to what would be coming next that he feared…

* * *

_**A/N: Oh dear, that's not good…what did Aeris mean when she said 'You're back'? I think I have a few names that are sure to be winners since I'm not getting a lot of baby girl names…the name with the most votes among the reviewers will be chosen from those who have reviewed to this chapter…and credit will go to whoever contributed that name. Also, I am also considering several songs that Vincent will play on the piano for his very last song…if those who review can help me choose one, then it would be lovely. Kudos to elyrics for the lyrics that are used here.**_

_**Girl Names:**_

_**Hikari (orangetamaki)**_

_**Megumi (The-Windflower-Fairy)**_

_**Nozomi (The-Windflower-Fairy)**_

_**Alexandra (Ski-October)**_

_**Victoria (Me)**_

_**Anya (Me)**_

_**Tsukihime (Me)**_

_**Vincent's Last Song:**_

"_**For Fruits Basket" by Ritsuko Okazaki from "Fruits Basket"**_

"_**Descendant of Shinobi" by Nobuo Uematsu from "Final Fantasy VII"**_

"_**To Zanarkand" by Nobuo Uematsu from "Final Fantasy X"**_

"_**Serenade" by Ritsuko Okazaki from "Fruits Basket"**_

"_**Chiisana Inori" by Ritsuko Okazaki from "Fruits Basket"**_

"_**Stardust Memory" by Daisuke Ishiwatari from "Blazblue"

* * *

**_

_**Songs Played:**_

"_**Aeris' Theme" by Uematsu Nobuo—Vincent's song for AVALANCHE**_

"_**Tifa's Theme" by Uematsu Nobuo—Vincent's song for Tifa**_

"_**I Don't Want To Miss A Thing" by Aerosmith—Vincent's encore song

* * *

**_

_**Vocabulary and Culture notes:**_

_**Samsara—the process of birth, life, death, and rebirth…it is a main component in Buddhist and Hindu teachings along with karma.**_


	15. Final Moments

_**A/N: Get your tissue papers ready people,. It's been a pleasure so far, and so I thank everyone who has added this story to their subscription lists and their favorite stories lists. You've all been wonderful readers. Do read and review, would you kindly?

* * *

**_

Aeris Gainsborough General Hospital, Kalm…

Time until Vincent's life expires: 3 days

A woman sat in front of a mirror…a contemplative look was on her face as she brushed her hair. Her auburn hair was being straightened with a distracted hand—as if she was wondering about some past event. Before she could think any more on the subject, the door slammed open with a blond man walking in. The look of surprise on her face was clear.

"Michael, what are you doing here?"

"Stopping you from marrying the wrong man."

"You have no right to be here. Now get out of here!"

"How can you say that Samara? How can you say that when it's all I can do right now not to kiss you here and now? How can you tell me that I have no right to be here after that kiss we shared last night?"

The look on Samara's face was that of agonizing pain. "I don't have any choice Michael…if I don't do this, then I won't be able to save Jan."

"But you don't love him!"

"What do you know about love Michael?"

"I may not have known love from the beginning, but you taught me about it…as I was growing up, I thought love was with the dates and one-night stands I've been having, and I foolishly thought that love was but a fleeting emotion, like the petals of a flower. But you taught me that true love exists—that it is immortal. You also taught me the true meaning of love, and because of that, I now have to courage to reveal to you something that I've been hiding…something I should have told you when I was a teenager, and have only been reminded now of…I love you Samara Wallace; I've loved you since the day I first saw you, it's just that I was too stupid to see it. I want to spend the rest of my life with you."

It didn't take long before Michael closed the distance between him and Samara, slowly embracing her…Samara was too shocked by the revelation to do anything…the last bits of resistance she had started bubbling to the surface…

* * *

Vincent lay in the hospital bed alone and watching a soap opera…thankfully, it was a re-run of a show he enjoyed when he had nothing to do in between missions as a Turk aside from maintaining his weapons and keeping in shape. Most of the newer soap operas he watched as of late were absolute garbage in his opinion…the show he was watching known as "Final Mythology" brought back memories of polishing and cleaning the long barrel of a semi-automatic sniper rifle chambered for 12.7x108mm rounds before setting it back in its company-owned case in preparation for his next assassination or bodyguard mission. He watched a different episode while loading 7.62x39mm rounds into the magazines for his assault rifle and .500 S&W rounds into speedloaders for Cerberus prior to doing his workouts. Contrary to what people believed, Vincent was good at multitasking, so he was actually paying attention to the story as he cleaned, repaired, and loaded his weapons. The idea behind the soap opera was that it was an anthology of emotional love stories—each episode telling a different story. This particular episode that he remembered watching as he cleaned the barrel told the tale of Samara Richards having an unexpected reunion with her long-lost high-school friend Michael Kennedy while her younger sister Jan was sick—it was a tale of regrets and revelations between lovers, and it was his favorite episode.

As he clicked the TV off using the remote, he began to worry about Yuffie. Oh how he wished he could be there in the same room as Yuffie—however, Dr. Edwards insisted that it was better that when he dies, she would not be there so as not to harm the baby since she is due to come out any time within this week now. He'd been confined to this bed for the last weeks or so after that day he lost power in his knees…he couldn't feel anything below his knees, and as of this week, he was unable to feel anything below his waist save his organs. What made his day brighter since that day was that his friends showed up to visit once or twice; and Yuffie always came to see him daily at least once a day. He could see their smiles of joy in their lives…Marlene and Denzel seemed to be holding to each other closer than he last saw them—they were frustrated by homework, but the former had an easier time than what he would see as her future husband. This was because Marlene happened to be a rather bright little girl while Denzel needed a little more work to actually grow. It's actually been weeks since he last saw Nanaki, but being the new leader of Cosmo Canyon, he was not surprised—with great power comes great responsibility. A lesson he learned long before he chose to become the chief of police for the 1st Precinct Wutainese Military Police Corps, and commander-in-chief of all the officers in Wutai…and a lesson he helped adjust Yuffie into.

Before he could be left to his thoughts, he saw the door to his hospital room opened, and in walked Tifa with a saddened smile on her face…her pregnancy with the twins was very obvious due to the fact that her belly was larger than Yuffie's to accommodate two children instead of one. "Hello Tifa," he said, "you seem to come more often nowadays."

"Oh you know…I couldn't stand the cigarette smoke anymore."

"I understand…Yuffie beats Cid over the head if she even smells those cigarettes—it's supposed to be bad for people anyway."

Tifa let out a brief laugh of happiness…it was then that she let out a sigh as if the memory her friend's situation sapped even the image out of her head. "Have you gone to naming the twins yet?"

"One of them is a girl we shall be naming Maya…her brother on the other hand will be named Warren."

"Such good names."

"Have you thought about what to name your daughter yet?"

"So far we've come up with several names, but I suppose we're both leaning towards Anya…that really got her thinking the last time I saw her."

"Anya? That's a beautiful name."

"It is…so what really brings you here Tifa?"

"I wanted to tell you that Cloud and I have decided to name you and Yuffie the godparents of our twins."

"Tifa, are you sure that's wise? I'm nearing the end of my life…how can I be a godfather if I can't be there for them?"

"We want to do this so that at the very least, you could…"

"You cannot have ties when one has already passed Tifa…I appreciate your intention to keep me alive if only in memory, and I am honored…it's just that I don't think it's a good idea."

"Don't worry. At least Yuffie will be there for them in your stead."

"If that's the case, then why haven't you come to Yuffie about this as well?"

"That's because she already did."

Vincent looked towards the doorway of his ward…he knew who that voice belonged to, and she was walking in with her own bundle of joy…a bundle of joy he participated in creating. "Yuffie…"

"Don't say another word Vince…it's an honor to be named godfather…something I think you should be able to handle even if you're not here with me anymore."

"But Yuffie…"

"No buts…you worry too much. I can handle those little brats when they start popping out…just you watch!"

He could not help but let out a small smile of happiness at this moment while Yuffie walked up, took off her shoes, and pressed her face against Vincent's chest. No matter the situation, Yuffie has always put a smile on his face no matter how small it is. "I'll accept this title Yuffie…since I seem to have no choice in the matter…"

"Don't lie…we all know you've wanted to have this title for a while now."

Tifa simply smiled and walked out—she had delivered her message, she did not need to watch as her friend got to be inappropriate with her husband. It was then that she wondered what it would be like when Yuffie would be there for her kids…Auntie Yuffie, now that was a title she'd like to hear from young voices…a shame that there won't be an Uncle Vincent around to help out, or even enjoy the time spent with the kids…

* * *

Unknown Time and Place…

"_There's not much I can do for you Vincent," the regret in Aeris' voice was very clear, "your soul is already decaying here in the borderlands between life and death. By the time it's already done, there will be no soul left for you to go into the Lifestream with. However, after a bit of pleading, the Ancients have found a way to grant you a little bit of an extension."_

"_What do you mean by an extension?"_

"_It means that that the Ancients will give you a little more time on the world before you are able to come back…it wasn't easy, but I convinced them to write up this contract for you. They will grant you a good fifteen minutes, but in exchange, you must find someone to transfer whatever remains of your life-force into. Once that is done, you will have time enough to say a proper goodbye."_

"_And what of the spirits that reside in me?"_

_As she spoke, Zack picked Vincent up and carried him bridal-style in his arms. "They've already guaranteed that at least a part of you will be able to go into the Lifestream. I can't tell you all the specifics yet, because the spirits that reside in you have called Chaos up so that they can all merge together and form a new spirit to bond with your daughter. We're all invited to watch the ceremony."

* * *

_

Present Time…Time until Vincent's Life Expires: 22 hours

Vincent looked towards his roommates…as far as he could tell, they were all severely critical—he studied the four other people in the same eight-person ward as he was in. The patient that struck out the most to him was the sixteen-year-old teenage girl next to him…she would grow up to be rather beautiful, that he could tell. Before she was a patient from a car accident, she was a great singer in the local high school's choir. It wasn't long until Vincent revealed that he was the pianist in high-school…and the two of them connected in a sense. Hilda on the other hand, was still wary of Vincent…and he didn't blame her—after all, he was just a stranger. From her appearance, she was suffering from a condition that thinned her blood a bit…possibly leukemia. But even under her sickness, he could see that she had come from a Wutainese background, although from her mother's side due to the fact that her surname was Williams…it was probable that a quarter of her was Wutainese blood.

"So Vincent, what do you do now?"

"Me? Oh, I've recently been one of the chiefs of police in Wutai for almost a year now…up until my hospitalization."

"What happened?"

"It's too complicated for you to understand what happened to me…but unfortunately, it happened just shortly after I found out that me and my wife were going to have a little girl."

Hilda could see it in his eyes…even though he didn't look it, she knew he was mentally old…she could also tell that he was dying—the fact that he was overly pale was the dead giveaway to her that he did not have much longer. Before she could think anymore on the man before her, she heard a door slamming open, and in ran a person she knew well from the news…it was Cloud Strife.

"Vincent…Yuffie…her water just broke! She's here…in the hospital!"

Vincent's eyes widened with surprise. Those words were enough to put strength in Vincent's body as he tried to struggle out of the bed—the loss of feeling in his legs be damned, he was going to be there for his wife if it killed him! With that on mind, he grabbed the railings of his bed, and flipped over only for Cloud to catch him, and letting his legs hit the floor. Vincent may have been heavy for Yuffie, but due to the JENOVA genes he had been implanted with, Cloud had no trouble picking up Vincent, and setting him into the nearby wheelchair before grabbing both handles, and pushing forward to the maternity ward. He was stressed as it was with Tifa's mood swings once in a while, but it would be a cold day in hell before he lets his friend miss his Yuffie's pregnancy!

As they wheeled on over to the maternity ward, Vincent noted that Cloud was running side-by-side with a stretcher that carried his wife. He noted the look of weariness on Yuffie's face as he quickly grabbed her hand. It was not long until Cloud suddenly stopped, causing Vincent's grip to slip—he was about to chew Cloud's head off until he realized that the door closed behind the stretcher carrying Yuffie…and it was too narrow to enter. Cloud moved on in, and opened the doors to finally find Yuffie in ward C-4. Vincent looked on into Yuffie's eyes with concern in his eyes…the birth had come sooner than expected. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine…I think Anya wants to see her daddy soon."

"It's a bit sooner than expected…Yuffie, do you think you'll be all right?"

"Don't worry Vincent. Just you wait…we'll be seeing our princess soon enough…"

Vincent reached out to his wife and grabbed her hand. The time of his demise was nigh…he wanted to spend what time he had left with his daughter in his arms; and not even the reaper himself was going to stop him. Sure, he would miss Anya's first words…her first steps…even lecturing her for the first time about the opposite gender…and it would seem likely that another man will win Yuffie's heart one day, but he will not miss watching Anya's eyes opening for the first time at the very least.

"By the way Vince, I know I should've told you this long ago, but I like Reno as a brother figure, but I wouldn't marry him."

A sigh of shame left Vincent's mouth upon hearing the revelation…oh she knew. "I knew someone was listening in when I smelled a hint of peaches mixed in the air with Rude's oak scent that day…were you…"

"I wanted to start up an argument with you about it, but then I saw why. I appreciate the thought you have for everyone, but I don't have any feelings for either Reno or Rude…in fact, I don't have feelings for anyone else yet. You don't have to worry, I'll be able to handle everything on my own…"

"To be honest, as much as I tolerated Reno as a person, I did not like the way he smelled; he stank of cheap beer, a mixture of perfumes, and a hint of ganja. In any case, I worried that you'll be so lonely one day while I'm dead that it'll be too much for you. That's why I gave Reno or Rude the blessings in advance if either won your hand…and I should have told you this, but if you fall in love with another man while I'm gone, you have my blessings to marry him should the time come…under one condition…"

"What is that?"

"You heard what I told Rude to tell Reno right?"

"Of course, I remember it well…you said, word for word, 'any man abuses who Yuffie or my daughter in any way will be dragged to the Lifestream and beaten senseless by yours truly'."

"Before you re-marry or our daughter is about to get married, you must send this message to the grooms-to-be."

"Will do."

* * *

Unknown time and place…

_Vincent glanced around the entire area…this was a totally unfamiliar area to him…but then again, being in this place in general was very strange to him, so being in a dark wood with only Aeris and Zack as company was not as shocking. What was shocking however was the appearance of a flickering light—as if there were fire up ahead._

_The trio moved on up and saw the shadows in the firelight…there were four of them surrounding what appeared to be a child…the four figures were outlines he would recognize anywhere…tall and slender, with a canine body built for speed and horns on its head was Galian Beast, the first spirit he was bonded to, and the only one of the spirits that resided in him to do so. The next figure was by far the tallest figure he knew of, towering even Galian Beast, and its body was massively built for power, and the bolts on its neck were a tell-tale sign that this figure was Death Gigas. The third figure he recognized was obvious—the wild hair, and the chainsaw in the shape of a zweihander was none other than Hellmasker. The final figure was rather easy to recognize—the wings, horns, and hoofed feet, and the regal appearance told him that this was none other than Chaos himself._

_As the trio closed in on what appeared to be a ceremony, Vincent saw that the baby was a beautiful little girl that smelled like an even mix of both cinnamon and peaches. But it seemed that the air was dominant with the smell of peaches…too dominant in the air as a matter of fact…as if pleading that what he was thinking was not true, Vincent turned his head to see the one person he did not want to see here in this borderline between life and death…

* * *

_

Present Time…Time until Vincent's Life Expires: 7 minutes

The screams of pain from outside the operating room were clear…the birthing process had begun almost a few hours ago. Doctor Edwards tried to get Vincent back into his room, but the silent threat the Vincent fired in his direction was more than enough to convince him to shut up and leave him alone or else. That silent threat also made it clear to Grey that any attempt to make him miss the birth of his daughter would result in a consequence the doctor did not want to know about…with that on mind, he left the man in his wheelchair facing the operating room…awaiting the moment that he would see his daughter for the first and last time.

Grey did not blame him one bit—if he were in Vincent's position himself, he would have told any doctor that tried to move him from that spot to 'go to hell'. He watched and waited…keeping the other man company…even going so far as to bring him a small sandwich and one for himself about half an hour ago while the two of them waited. Not a very good last meal, but at least it was something to bring up Vincent's strength a bit before seeing his daughter. With that thought on mind, both men watched the red of the session lights as it was constantly on…waiting for the large light-emitting diode to turn off and thus signaling the moment that Vincent gets to see little Anya Valentine.

For the next three minutes, nothing was happening until the red light dimmed off, and Grey walked up to Vincent's chair and pushed him towards the operating room gently as the sound of the swinging double-doors unlocked. The doctor heading the operation walked out…the look on his masked face was happy…it was a successful operation! "Mr. Valentine, your wife wishes to see you."

With that, Grey wheeled Vincent in next to his wife as she was breast-feeding their little girl. It was then that he knew it was to be a private moment for the family as Yuffie looked down at Anya with a look of maternal ecstasy in her eyes—the love of a mother towards her daughter. Vincent's eyes however, shone with a light that would only belong to a proud father and a loving husband…the man he had been waiting to be. The doctor had no place here…aside from making sure everything was fine.

"May I hold her Yuffie?"

Yuffie nodded, and waited for their daughter to fall asleep after she was satisfied. It was then that she held the baby in a blanket in front of her so that Vincent could hold onto her. He looked in on that cute little face…he could see that Yuffie's genes would be dominant here despite what she says about his traits being more dominant in their daughter. In a brief moment, he watched as her eyes opened—and revealed eyes the color of rubies…from that, he supposed that she would be the subject of interest for many boys at high school. It would probably be his last words, so he may as well reassure his baby girl that it will be all right before he leaves this life…with that, he let out a sigh of happiness and lowered his voice. "Hello there Anya, this is your daddy…no matter what happens in the future, no matter what you do, I will always love you…even from beyond the grave."

As Yuffie looked on at her husband holding their daughter, she noted that his smile was turned upside down into a frown…and then she noted that his eyes were not moving…something was wrong. "Vince? Are you okay?"

His joy was cut short when he felt something in his chest…his breaths were getting shorter and shorter as his heart rate started slowing…his vision was blurring and fading in and out of darkness…as the it was his time to go…with that, Vincent used the last of his strength to hand Anya over to Yuffie. In the last moments of his life, he had heard several things…first was Yuffie saying his name while he heard the sound of the EKG racing…next was the gasp of pain from Yuffie as she fell backwards into the stretcher as their daughter cried as the two of them were struggling to survive…he then heard the sound of the doctors racing in to save them all…by the time everything was finished, the last thing he heard was Anya's final cry of life, Yuffie's struggle in pain ceasing and the doctors giving up their fight to save her using the defibrillators at sound of her EKG flat-lining…

* * *

Time until Vincent's Life Expires: 0 days

Time of death: 11:59 PM

* * *

_**A/N: This chapter we visit Vincent's dreams for once…or are they dreams. Sorry for the cliffhanger, but I felt that I had to update sooner, because you were all such fabulous reviewers. As to naming the girl Anya, I thank The-Windflower-Fairy and XlittleninjaX24 for helping me to pick the name…sorry, but I couldn't decide whether or not to give her the middle name of Megumi or Nozomi. In any case, I thank everyone who has reviewed so far…especially you serenbach…you've all been wonderful readers.

* * *

**_

_**Songs Played:**_

"_**Ashes" by Michael Salvatori and Martin O'Donnell from "Halo: Reach"—Vincent dies with his family

* * *

**_

_**Vocabulary and Culture notes:**_

_**12.7x108mm—this is a slightly larger round than the .50 BMG (which is a 12.7x99mm bullet) made in Russia…obviously, this would be useful in a heavy machine gun or a sniper rifle due to its heavier stopping power.**_

_**7.62x39mm—this is a rather well-known Russian round for being used in the AK-47 assault rifle.**_

_**Zweihander—this is a large sword used in medieval times by the Landsckneht soldiers in Germany; this is a two-handed sword hence its name which means 'two-hander'. **_


	16. Ashes and the End

_**A/N: Thank-you all so kindly for your reviews thus far…you've all been most helpful…and the authors I am thanking shall be thanked at the end of this chapter. All the same, do read and review, would you kindly?

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**_

Unknown Time and Place…

_Yuffie awoke to find herself in a grassy green field…but the sky above her was plain white. As she stood up, she noted that she was on solid ground…it wasn't long until she noted that she was right in front of a field of flowers. For some reason, she had a feeling that someone familiar was nearby…someone VERY familiar…as she checked her surroundings; she made notice of two figures in the distance walking towards a dark forest…one she had known of in her childhood that was wearing the dark blue uniform and black pauldrons of the SOLDIER units, and with black hair. The other figure was too clear to ever forget due to the amount of pink she wore. Oh she knew who they were all right…but wait a minute, if they were here, wouldn't that mean…_

_It was then to her horror that the realization had hit her…she had died! But then again, if she had died, where was Vincent? What happened to their little girl? With that thought in mind, Yuffie found that now was a good time to go get some answers. As she was brought out of her thoughts, she had realized that Aeris and Zack had already gotten themselves mixed into the darkness of the forest. She growled at herself in anger for her own stupidity until she noted something gracefully towards her—something red and silken was moving around her as if it were inspecting her. It wasn't long until the silk sheet stopped circling Yuffie that it headed towards the forest. Against her better judgment, she followed the silk sheet even through the darkness of the forest until it disappeared, and she found herself looking at a clearing. As she got closer to the edge of the clearing, she looked on upon the shapes of the shadows being illuminated by the firelight, and she immediately recognized the forms of the shadows to be Vincent's tenants and Chaos, and they were surrounding a baby in a blanket that was sleeping peacefully. The scene in front of her seemed ominous, until she remembered! Her last dream! As she looked on upon the scene in front of her with eyes the size of saucers, she then realized that whatever was happening involved that baby before them…a baby that she recognized due to the red eyes she saw during the brief moment that it opened its eyes…the baby that belonged to her and Vincent! It was Anya!_

"_Yuffie?"_

_She recognized the voice immediately, despite how weak it sounded. She turned her head to see Aeris and Zack, looking at her with a sad look in their eyes. What got her attention however, was the fact that Vincent was being carried bridal-style by Zack, and that all that was left of him now was his torso and his arms. She did not say anything…she simply ran to Aeris and Zack, and embraced them both in a hug with Vincent in the middle of it all._

"_Aeris…Zack…I missed you…" it was then that she broke the hug that she looked on at Vincent with concern in her eyes. "What's happening to Vincent?"_

"_What you see now Yuffie is what's left of Vincent's soul that belongs to him…that's what's still deteriorating. After a person dies, the spirits that they are bonded to are released from their bonds and become free-floating spirits, which is why we are seeing all of the forms Vincent had taken in the years prior…and from the looks of things, we have a late arrival."_

_As soon as Yuffie turned around, she noted that there was the red silken sheet flowing from behind her. The sheet spun around in circles until it revealed its true form—a form that she saw only in a few pictures in the clinic that Vincent grew up in…the form that the sheet took was a female that would most definitely be mistaken for Tifa were it not for the fact that this woman also wore a small pair of glasses with rectangular lenses in addition to the red silk kimono that the sheet had become._

"_Mother."_

_The woman simply smiled as she walked closer to Vincent and caressed his cheek and then his chin. "Vincent…at last I am able to speak to you face-to-face. I had hoped that you would live longer so that you could be there for my granddaughter…I'm only sorry that I had not told you of our traditions among the tribes; if I had, you would have been there to hold little Anya for a longer period of time."_

"_Why didn't you tell him?"_

"_Amongst our people, there are those of us who are not as receptive to the spirits we are bonded to. When they are not receiving any transmissions from their spirit partner, they live like normal people until they are able to do so. Because Vincent was not receptive to any of Galian Beast's transmissions and messages until his ordeal at the hands of Hojo, he would have been able to live a normal life…and thus, I didn't think it was necessary to tell him at the time."_

"_And what are you doing here? Shouldn't only those four over there be the only ones who share a tenement in Vincent's mind?"_

"_The reason I am here also ties to Hojo…although Lucrecia is also to blame, good as her intentions were. When Lucrecia first implanted Chaos into Vincent, his body was already unstable as it was already been bonded with Galian Beast…however, after Hojo came and performed his accursed experiments onto my son, he stabilized him—but what he did also had a side-effect. This side-effect will carry on to little Anya in addition to the longevity that my son has received but will never be able to take full advantage of now; and that side-effect is that as Vincent would have lived longer, he would have gained more spirits to bond with and thus gained more transformations. This will start the second we complete this ritual."_

_This time, it was Vincent's turn to speak—the concern he had for his daughter, even in death, had made his voice all the more sincere. "What does this ritual do?"_

"_The reason that Anya died was because there was no spirit to bond with her…many of them had died out because of Shin-Ra's destruction of the planet and defilement of the homeland of many spirits that bond with humans: Wutai. Theoretically, if Shin-Ra had stopped its actions, there should be more spirits walking around as it is a sign of life returning to the planet. But the fact of the matter is, the number of un-bonded spirits living in the planet is not replenishing fast enough—as of now, all of them have already bonded to a particular human, or are dead. And so this ritual will not only fuse all four of your tenants and myself together to create a new spirit, but also to provide that spirit to bond with Anya…the requirements for a fusion to take place however, state that more than one spirit is required to participate, and that all the spirits involved have to have a common spiritual signature being generated."_

"_What does this mean?"_

"_When spirits fuse together Yuffie, any number of them can fuse together to form a new spirit as long as they all share a common spiritual signature—in this case, because all five of us have been living in Vincent, our spiritual signatures have all been automatically synchronized generate a signal similar to his in order to contain a piece of his soul each (which is the key to a spirit bonding to a human), meaning that when this ritual is finished, not only will your daughter be resurrected, but Vincent will literally be living on in her as the pieces of his soul that we each contain will make it much easier for the resulting spirit to bond with her. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a ritual to participate in. Vincent…" The man looked on at the woman as she called his name. "…it was good to see you again… I'm sorry I left you and your father in life, and that I am leaving you again. Can you forgive me?"_

"_There is nothing to forgive mother. I will love you in this life and the next."_

_With that, Li Xiao Long Nu smiled at her son, and then she hugged kissed him in the forehead "Goodbye, my son." She turned and walked towards the bonfire-lit clearing as the four spirits that inhabited Vincent's body turned to see their fifth member walking towards them. Galian Beast nodded at her in understanding before all five of them formed a ring around little Anya. They then began to chant in an ancient Wutainese dialect…the tone and speed of their words suggested that these were words used in meditations or in ancient spells. One by one, everyone focused their gaze upon the little girl, and called out a word:_

_Galian Beast shot out both of his hands in front of him, right hand behind the left hand, and shouted "Wood"_

_Chaos set his right hand alight and shot it out in front of him still burning and aflame and shouted "Fire"_

_Death Gigas slammed both of his hands into the ground and clapped them together did the same as the other two and shouted "Earth"_

_Hellmasker drove his chainsaw into the ground before his left hand was in front of him as he bellowed out "Metal"_

_Li Xiao Long Nu finally clapped her hands together and shot both arms out "Water!"_

_All five beings glowed in a blinding white light before a cataclysm exploded in front of the four witnesses. When the light cleared, the forest was still in one piece, and everyone watched as instead of five beings, there stood a pale woman dressed in an ancient style of white traveler's kimono with embroidered with a pattern of flowers all over. She also wore an indigo hakama, and was blindfolded with a cloth of the same color. Her hair long hair was tied up in a bun held up by chopsticks in an x-shaped pattern to accommodate the sando-gasa upon her head. She carried a nodachi with an inlaid black lacquer sheath over her shoulder with junction inside her left elbow, and baby Anya in the right hand sleeping in peace. Her left hand however, was free as the woman walked with care towards the four onlookers and turning her attention to both Yuffie and Vincent as if she could see them. As they looked upon her features with a much closer inspection, they realized that she was actually a very beautiful woman despite her pale skin due to the natural grace of her curves._

"_I am Izanami—the goddess of death. Vincent Valentine and Yuffie Kisaragi, the ritual is complete, and I have bonded with your daughter. It is up to her biology if she will be naturally receptive to me…but other than that, she lives again. I shall take my leave now." With that, Izanami bowed before them, and vanished in a baby blue light with Anya still in her hands. As the two of them watched, their reactions were that of parents relieved that their child was going to live—the tears of joy were very clear on their faces. Vincent however, noted something amiss about Yuffie…she was glowing brighter and brighter, and was turning into a bright yellow sand that blew away into the wind without noticing._

"_Yuffie…something is happening with you!"_

_Upon hearing this, Yuffie looked upon her hands, and noticed what Vincent had seen. She turned to look at Aeris. "It seems that as the avatar of Phoenix, while you can resurrect as many times as you want as long as you have been killed, you can only resurrect from death by any natural cause save aging only once. I think the gods foresaw this, and decided to grant a mother a bit of mercy while keeping things balanced. I'm only sorry that you will be going to leave for life alone."_

"_What do you mean?"_

"_Vincent cannot leave. He has too little of his soul left. I'm sorry Yuffie…but it has to be this way…even I cannot change it."_

_Yuffie looked hurt…but she understood why. If there was too little of his soul left, then there was no point in resurrecting him as well. She may as well have left him here. With sad eyes, she simply walked towards Vincent, and gave him one last kiss while hugging him for the last time. "I'll make sure Anya grows up to be a good girl."_

"_And don't forget your promise to me Yuffie."_

_Aeris had a look on her face that indicated she had just remembered something. "And don't forget to tell Cloud that Zack and I said 'hi' and that we're doing fine here!"_

_Before her body had disappeared completely, Vincent heard one last line from her. "I won't."

* * *

_

Aeris Gainsborough General Hospital Morgue, Kalm…

Present time…shortly after Vincent's death…

Tifa and Cloud looked at the bodies of their friends and their daughter. When Dr. Edwards made the call, they were devastated…and they had to call all of AVALANCHE together, as well as Godo to see them. Their bodies were pale with death, but Vincent was even more so due to his complexion. Tifa sobbed into Cloud's muscular frame while the latter did what he could to avoid breaking up into tears so that he could comfort his wife despite the fact that he was so close to crying as well. Cid and Barret looked on at the family members that had been taken from them while comforting their wives. Nanaki had left the room earlier with Reeve. Godo however, was hit the hardest by the news of his daughter—his face was blank but it was clear in his eyes that he was a broken man. The people in the room were too entwined in their sadness that they did not notice two glows flashing for a moment from both Yuffie and little Anya's bodies.

When Yuffie awoke, she noted that she was naked and cold, and she heard the sounds of sobbing nearby. She then looked to her left and saw two things: closer towards her, she saw the small chest of Anya's body rise and fall in a peaceful slumber—this sight before her made her cry small tears of joy that were tainted with tears of sadness when she realized what had happened. The body she saw further away from her only reminded her of what she lost, as it was the body of Vincent grayed from death. She then put her hands to her eyes, and let out a cry of anguish before weeping away—drawing the attention of all the people in the room with her.

"Doctor!"

* * *

One week later…the top of Mt. Da Chao

This was a moment to remember—as this was the day that they all wished would never have to come. Shortly after their night in Gongaga with the "Wise Titan" as witness to their act of love and as requested among other things in his will, Vincent requested that he be cremated and his remains scattered to the winds atop Mt. Da Chao. Yuffie held the urn in both hands with Rude and Reno standing side-by-side with her…the tears from knowing what she was going to do were flowing. In the week that had passed, Yuffie and little Anya had both regained their strength, the former getting her strength back for this moment. As Anya was being held by Rude and Reno, both men looked at the woman they truly loved—upon remembering that their competition for Yuffie's heart would have to be put on hold for the next few months, both looked at the little girl with love in their eyes…the same sort of love that a father would reserve for a daughter.

Yuffie stepped towards the edge of the face, and opened the lid of the urn before pouring the ashes into the wind. As she cried, she knew that it was official…she had just said goodbye to the man she loved. She then walked on back to the limousine with Rude and Reno in tow—the reason the two of them were there was because they had resigned from the Turks, and had agreed to form a sort of secret service for the imperial family. The underlying reason however, was so that both of them would be closer to Yuffie—and this limousine ride was their opportunity to comfort her on the way home. It was selfish for both of them, but at the same time, they truly cared, and they didn't want to leave her alone in such a vulnerable moment.

It wouldn't be long until the limousine had arrived at palace. The two of them followed Yuffie in and saw that as the will was read, they noted that she was crying even more upon hearing what Vincent was giving up: To all the children, his money in all his bank accounts would be divided among them equally in separate accounts to help pay for college tuition. Rufus would get the Death Penalty so that he could reverse-engineer it when he has the time. Reeve had been given a signed and written document that all members of the Wutainese Military Police Department would be working very closely with the WRO and the Turks to the point that some troops could be transferred over to either of those organizations…and under the command of Niite Nobunaga with Kisaragi Sakura and Matsuyama Hiroaki as his right and left-hand advisors respectively due to their trains of thought. Tifa would receive his mother's cookbook, while Cloud got her sword. Cid was given a tobacco pipe that belonged to Grimoire Valentine with some high-quality leaves for smoking—a gift he was all-too-eager to hide from Shera who received a pile of books on medicine that have been translated from Wutainese to Basic that came from the same clinic. Barrett got the blueprints to all of Vincent's personal gun designs that he had filed away while drawing up the ones for the Zeus rifle (whether he has to share them with Rufus or not was up to his discretion). Elmyra received a black pine bonsai tree that was cared for by his mother's apprentice Dr. Hazama. Yuffie however, would get Cerberus and his house on the outskirts near the capital to do with as she pleases…both that he intended to give for her to remember him by.

As soon as she stepped out of the palace with Anya in her arms and Reno and Rude at her side, Yuffie noted something clipped to the gates. It appeared to be a DVD case written for her. Her two bodyguards looked to the sides with their 9mm semiautomatic pistols quickly drawn searching for anyone who could be watching the area…when satisfied that nobody was around, Rude silently asked Yuffie for the case, walked at least thirty feet away, and opened it. As soon as it was clear that nothing was happening, Rude had come back with the opened case, with a puzzled look on his face…as written at the bottom of the DVD was the line "Please watch this". With that thought on mind, the four of them walked into the palace after setting Anya in her crib, and placed the DVD in the player as the three of them watched the HDTV screen show something…only to see someone with long and disheveled black hair and grayed-out skin playing on the piano—Yuffie had listened to Vincent play piano enough times to know when someone was playing seriously, and knew that this pianist was only warming up due to the fact that this recording had started while this person was in the middle of the song. Although the song that this particular person played used a song only she and Vincent knew—because it was the song that Vincent had continuously played to sharpen his skills that nobody else seemed to know. It was also played in the same manner as Vincent had on that night—as if the song being played now was to…FUCK! How the hell could she have been so blind? She slapped her own head with the revelation of her own foolishness. But tears from her eyes had would have already come by now, but instead they were open with a bit of fear and shock upon knowing who it was that was playing on the piano.

Rude looked to Yuffie with concern in his eyes. Why was she crying? "Yuffie, are you alright love?"

"I'm fine Rude…it's just that that pianist is Vinnie."

Reno and his friend had looked to Yuffie as though she was crazy, but then they noticed that the song had stopped, and the pianist had turned to face the TV screen. They studied the face of the pianist with a look of shock and fear in their eyes—his skin was indeed grayed out, and his once-clear red eyes were made white from death, but it was undeniable. This was Vincent Valentine. What was more unbelievable was that according to the date shown on the screen as well as the background, the DVD was a recording from a week ago—the same night Yuffie and Anya had come back from the grave and it took place in the piano room of the hospital.

"Yuffie, if you are watching this, chances are my body has already been cremated and the ashes scattered to the winds like I asked. I don't have much time, so I'll get straight to the point—yes, for now, I'm a zombie, but only because the Ancients decided to give me a small moment longer. I would have been there longer for you and Anya, but you were under the effects of sedatives and our little princess was sleeping peacefully, and to wait for you to say goodbye properly to the two of you would not do…I've only ten or fifteen minutes left as it is before death comes to reclaim me, so I decided to record one more song…for you and Anya. This will also be the first time I've ever done a duet, so please forgive me if I do this behind your back, but I wanted to say goodbye properly, even if I had to record myself doing so. Before I play, I have a few words to the both of you:

As Yuffie was listening, she had a recollection—in her sedated state, she remembered feeling something comforting and she remembered cold lips that brought back her memories with Vincent…he was there to see them one last time before he went to record this for her and Anya to watch. "To you Yuffie, I thank you…for being there for me…and for giving me so much love and happiness in my life. You are the one person I've been waiting for in all my years of living…and you are the only person I've ever needed. I shall do whatever it takes to see to it that we are reincarnated in the same life again…if only to have the light you brought to me in this life in the next I shall be seeing you in."

"To you Anya, I am sorry for not being there for you. I am sorry that I am going to be missing your first of everything. Your first steps…your first words…even your first moment of being fed your first solid foods by me and your mother. For anything I will be about to miss, I will apologize, but know this: I will forever love you even from beyond the grave.

"And without further ado, I shall bring about my final performance to you…and for this lovely moment, I shall bring Miss Hilda Williams to this stage—and we shall be playing a song for the two of you as a duet."

A voice from behind the camera spoke out. "Vincent, I don't know if I can do this…I don't think I can sing in front of important people…"

Vincent looked to the voice behind the camera as she walked towards him. "Hilda…I know you're scared. But there is a trick I have been taught—perhaps it will work for you…think of the people you usually sing to—think of your usual audience when you close your eyes. Think of that, and you should have no fear even if you sing to the king of the world. That is the very first thing you should be able to do when you intend to go out on the path you are going down. Think of your usual audience, and breathe very slowly—close your eyes for this if you need to. In any case, remain calm, and you'll be fine."

With that, Hilda closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Are you ready?"

The teenage girl nodded her head, and Vincent started playing…this was not like the song he used to warm up—he was now playing seriously. He was playing from his heart for Yuffie and Anya. It would not be long until Hilda opened her mouth to sing…the fear that was in her voice before had been replaced with sheer confidence.

* * *

Hajimete no takaramono yo konna ni suki ni natte  
Tsuyokute yowai kokoro toki ni wa sabishigaru kedo

Kimi ga warau to sore dake de mou ureshikute  
Subete ga mukuwareru 'n da

Utsumuiteta hi wa koko kara miteta no wa  
Demo ima wa sora wo miageteru

Tohou ni kureru senaka ni kotoba wo kaketai kedo  
Doshaburi ni nureta kata wo sugu ni mo dakitai keredo

Itsumo itsudemo motometeite kurenakute ii  
Donna hi mo kimi wo shitteru

Kokoro no kagi wo akeru no wa tsuyoi chikara janaku  
Massugu ni omou kimochi

Kimi ga warau to sore dake de mou ureshikute  
Subete ga mukuwareru 'n da

Utsumuiteta hi wa koko kara miteta no wa  
Demo ima wa sora wo miageteru

Kyou mo ganbarou makenai tsuyosa wo motou  
Ai suru hito no tame ni mo

* * *

The second that Vincent stopped playing, the song had started fading off at the end before he turned to face the camera. It was clear that he was beginning to run out of time as he was beginning to swagger and was using the last of his strength to stand up. He was smiling…the contentment as if he had completed a mission was clear, and the tears of sadness from knowing that death had started to regain its grip on its claim. The wish that he could stay alive longer was very sincere in his dead eyes. "Yuffie, Anya, I will always love the two of you…Reno and Rude, if you are watching this as well, remember my warning—especially you Reno, and with that in mind, I wish the two of you happiness in the future. And to everyone watching this video, I don't have much else to say except…goodbye."

Vincent fell to the ground as the sleep of death had reclaimed him…and Hilda moved quickly shut off the camera as he did.

Yuffie cried loudly…it was a beautiful song. She also wished to have that kiss they shared to last longer, and she also wished that she was awake to have felt it…even if it were cold because he was dead. The sincerity behind it all was enough to make her cry, as tears of joy and sadness had filled her eyes. Reno and Rude could only think of how shocking it was and the impossibility of it all…but understood that there were things even science could not explain. They knew it was genuine because there was no known way to fake the eyes of the dead…and with that knowledge they also silently cried—they had just lost a very good friend and the best upperclassman they've ever run into. Nobody could replace him as of this very moment…

* * *

Sixteen years later…

Yuffie knelt down in front of the picture of Vincent with a stick of incense in her hand. She bowed with the stick alight, before placing it in the stand next to the offerings of an orange, a bun, and a shot of sakè inside the small shrine. The memories of all the good times she had shared with him came flooding back.

"Mom!" a voice called out from outside the door, and in walked a teenage girl with smooth and silky raven-colored locks and crimson-colored eyes. She was the female version of Vincent with a good amount of her personality mixed in. "Are you ready? Uncle Cloud and Auntie Tifa are waiting in the car downstairs."

"Just paying respects to your father sweetie. I'll be down there in a minute"

Anya had grown significantly well over the years…a master of the guitar and piano…captain of the gymnastics team…fluent in three languages…head of the student council…and a generally good student and human being…if only you were not on the receiving end of her pranks for doing something to hurt her friends for no good reason. And because of the good looks she inherited from Vincent and Yuffie, she had heads turning in her direction from both boys and girls in school, and after two years in Wutai Capital High School, she had qualified for and earned an airship ticket to go to Kalm for overseas education—Yuffie saw to it that Reno and Rude would not leave her alone, but they would have done it anyway; even if she was directly related to Vincent, she was the same as a daughter to them, and so they wouldn't let anything bad happen to Anya if they could help it.

"Don't worry mom, I'm sure daddy is smiling at you from the Lifestream."

"I know Anya…it's just, I miss him."

"I'm sure you'll see him again. One day. And when my time comes, we can be a real family…providing that Uncle Rude and Uncle Reno get to come on in."

"I'm sure he'll be welcoming them…but in the meantime, he has to catch up with your brother. And once he's done being a father to him, we can all be one big happy family. Now, let's get downstairs and see your uncles and aunts…we wouldn't want to miss the wedding of Marlene and Denzel now would we?"

* * *

_**A/N: This, ladies and gentlemen (well mostly ladies anyway) is the end of the story…if anyone is willing to make a sequel, you are most welcome to do so, all I ask is that you send me a link of your story so that I can see your take on what will happen afterwards.

* * *

**_

_**Readers to thank:**_

_**Serenbach**_

_**XlittleninjaX24**_

_**AzureSora**_

_**CupofTeaforAliceandHatter**_

_**PrincessofBadLuck**_

_**Orangetamaki**_

_**Stella**_

_**Ski October (wherever you are)**_

_**Weskette**_

_**Kittykatkawai**_

_**Kissychan1101**_

_**FFrocksURsocks**_

_**Sirithgliniel**_

_**Eliza Moonchild**_

_**Fethrhd**_

_**Knock-Out92

* * *

**_

_**Songs Played:**_

"_**Descendant of Shinobi" by Nobuo Uematsu from "Final Fantasy VII Piano Collections"—Vincent warming up**_

"_**Serenade" by Ritsuko Okazaki from "Fruits Basket"—Vincent's last song**_

"_**Teardrop" by Massive Attack from "House MD"—Vincent's ashes scattered and his will has been read

* * *

**_

_**Vocabulary and Culture notes:**_

_**Sando-gasa—this is a very popular type of sedge shade worn in ancient Japan…keeps the wearer dry and shaded at the same time. **_

_**Nodachi—this is a very long samurai sword…a good deal longer than your standard katana; few are made due to the fact that the naginata does the same job, costs less, and is easier to make. **_

_**The Elements—in Taoism, there are five elements: earth, fire, water, wood, and metal, and they form a sort of elemental chart. This spell that is being used for the ritual uses the aforementioned elements in the order of what creates what.**_

_**Izanami—the wife of Izanagi; she is essentially the Shinto goddess of death.**_


	17. IMPORTANT!

**Greetings to the fine folk that moderate our site.**

**Myself, along with many, have been writing and posting on your fine site for years now, some of the better examples of up and coming writers out there are now suddenly finding some of the stories we've come to love at risk of being removed without the chance to even rectify our errors.**

**For some, that means the permanent loss of a story. While I don't have anything that I believe violates your terms of use, there are those out there that are never able to recover a story in its original form, this is something I find to be almost worthy of a legal action, as while we cannot claim ownership of a character, the stories are OURS and simply destroying them is something that is inexcusable.**

**It's quite easy to simply add an MA rating, additional filters or even a simple requirement for a free membership to read the stories presented here, and would cut down on hateful anonymous reviews and posts at the same time, so I have to question as to why such a thing, in all this time, simply wasn't added.**

**If you're worried about falsification of a registration then have an appropriate disclaimer and then there can be no dispute, you took your steps and the PARENTS didn't monitor their children, if that is even your concern. If it is more of a personal view or desire then please at least let people know and give them a chance to remove a story that you and yours find offensive, most people on the site are actually rather cordial when it comes to such requests.**

**While I cannot say for sure if this letter will even reach those that may be willing to listen, of if it's more akin to a wide spectrum purge in preparation for something bigger, please understand that you are going to be looseing a LARGE number of your writers, and thus your income from a lack of readers if there is not some level of action taken to help with this situation.**

**For those that may agree with this, please feel free to sign on and send this to the support server, maybe we can get some movement on this.**

**Psudocode_Samurai**

**Rocketman1728**

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**VFSNAKE**

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**Legionary Prime**

Kurogane7


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